What the hell was that? I'm sorry but despite the transgender significance, this book falls flat on its face as most of these characters are shifted for clear attention grabbing headlines like the interracial relationship with Fox and the transgender lure. There isn't any plot or character growth in these pages as it shifts in a weird chase between Barbra and Dick until the wedding ceremony starts.

The opener, the media coverage, Damian's return, Jason's bar scene were the strongest parts of the issue but that's doesn't mean the awkward dialogue didn't hinder their impact. It was a recurring problem as the Robins chose to break the fourth wall with "I am Robin!" catchphrases throughout the book which came off as forced. There's a grave mistake on Tom King's (or the editors) hands at the end of the book when Travis (the killer Robin) says that Duke saved Damian even though the latter didn't require anyone's help to stop Jim Gordon nor was he scratched by the amateur Robins in the gym fight. The art shifts a lot between the many artists who have different renditions for guys like Tim Drake who appeared like a child during Jason's introductory scene. The plot has a black and white intake on Gotham City's politics. There's also a very convenient tone in regards to the GCPD's role and how it served the plot's progression like with Duke getting arrested for wearing red sneakers. The last act was confusing as Duke, the amateur Robins leader, who ran away from the GCPD and acknowledges their injustice suggests to the cop killer Robin to hand himself in to the police without any consideration to how this gesture could be exploited by the councilwomen Noctua. A decision that contradicted the leadership role that's being set for him.

As a complete story, this event was troubled with rushed concepts that were poorly executed on the script as well as the multiple pencils on art duties. This event had two clear goals; prematurely establish Duke Thomas as a capable figure among the Robins while setting up Grayson's story in his book with the Court of Owls. As an objective, King manages to set both plots into motion even if it relied heavily on convenience. An element that influenced the exposition of Duke’s story since his reappearance in Bermejo’s We Are Robin after his role in Snyder’s Endgame story where he lost his parents. Duke is a promising character who, based on Snyder’s Batman run, has an old connection to Bruce since the events of Zero Year so it’s a normal transition for him to end up in the Bat family. However, two problems were evident from the start, the first concerned Damian’s place in Snyder’s run and the other was Duke’s contradicting skillsets. For instance, he’s depicted as a capable figure in acrobats even though he’s acrophobic, lacks any martial arts training but is capable of standing up to Grayson & Damian while spotting trained stealth assassins, possess deductive skills that exceed those of Tim Drake. The kid is a raw concept that is being set irrationally without gradual development and at the cost of other characters, a flaw similar to the forced introduction of Harper Row’s Bluebird persona last year. Despite these contradictions, Tom King manages to make the character grow on the reader as the emotional and psychological layers of the character are unraveled at the final pages even though some of them were convenient and irrational like Duke figuring out the secret identity of Damian Wayne. The interaction between Damian & Duke is a deep and an enjoyable one especially the promise of friendship between the two. Grayson's fate on the other hand relies entirely on the upcoming event in his book this March.

The book is moving in good pace when it comes to the casts introduction but the actual plot is being slowly unveiled. The dialogue may reflect certain personalities like Grayson but at times it leaves much more to be desired, particularly the "sexy" parts Stephanie utters twice on Grayson which felt awkward.

Weak characterization and a mishandled new origin confusion for Tim Drake. The action art sequences continue to feel awkward. There was a blunt continuity problem between the day/night time when Grayson approached the Drakes residence between issues 4 & 5. Steve Orlando fails to depict proper voices for the character and the dialogue felt unnatural. The story doesn't move one step forward since the first two issue.

Loved most of it but I have to say that it felt weird when Vic ditched Sarah, the only person to understand him, for a high school buddy... She better smack his metal head next month.

Initially, I wanted to give this issue a higher score (8-8.5) for the twist it brought us at the end which I suspect is the reason why many reviews pour such deserved praise on Steve Orlando's 6th issue. However, as I look back at the series as a whole and last month's revelations in Russia, I find myself confused with the plot progression when it comes to the stolen weapons from the God Garden aka the center point of this entire arc but more on that after the art review. ACO and Hugo Petrus were up to the job on pencils and inks especially with the small details, like the reflecting shards of flying glass and the park trees and leaves, that were able to enrich the visual experience. Romulo Fajardo was brilliant with his use of color as the scenes shifted between colder and warmer sets like the ones in Matt's hometown in Connecticut. The intimate scenes had an autumn touch to them with the warmer colors as the fighting ones wore a more vibrant and explosive ones that represented the Midnighter's personality and capabilities well. After 3 issues handled by ACO, the odd 'upper gum' representation no longer bothers me that much. Going back to my earlier thought, I believe the main problem with this series is the evident lack of a tighter story in most of this arc's beginning. If you recall, last month we discovered that Akakyevich was just the middle man so you'd expect more exposition on that side of the story but we got literally no follow up this month. During his vacation with Matt, it took Midnighter 2-5 days to retrieve the Garden's properties in scattered fights with a one-liner dialogue. We get no explanation on how he located them which puts into question the earlier Russian adventure. It seems that the original stolen weapons plot was wrapped up quickly to accommodate the fresher and more intriguing concept of Prometheus. It may have been a subtle way to change gear but it still doesn't justify 3 wasted months on vampire hunting and saunas.

Dan Jurges wraps up the Futures End story with a clash on Brother Eye's moon base that will require a great sacrifice by one of the Beyond-verse older villains turned ally to destroy the Eye's threat permanently. Jurgersn uses the toys from Batman and the Justice League's past to catch Brother Eye off guard as the final fight commences on the moon. Bernard Chang continues to deliver solid work with his pencils whether it was the futuristic world rendition, the facial expressions, or the lively action sequences. The impact Marcelo Maiolo colors have on the book's atmosphere is quite evident as they bring life to the victory back on earth and the explosive battles from the opening pages. As a general observation, Jurgens's Batman Beyond offers the best characterization of Tim Drake and Barbra Gordon from DC's current books. Tim is learning to adapt and grow in his role as Batman while he's using his intellect to scheme the Eye's downfall plan. Meanwhile, Barbra grew into the role of Gotham's practical leader with her resilience and personal pain that may have left her wounded but certainly made her stronger.

Issue seven shows two relevant stories about Tim Drake and Matt Mcginnis. The first one addresses the Batman suit repairs after it was damaged in the battles with Brother Eye in the last arc. Barbra joins Tim as they unlocks Bruce's old codes to retrieve the necessary data with Drake's deductive skills. Back in the streets of Neo-Gotham, young Matt Mcginnis ventures for answers on the origin of the severed hand of Green Lantern and the ring now in his possession from an illegal weapons dealer. We get a nicely laid out debut of Rewire in the tailor shop as he scolds Matt to leave before he electrocutes the man. Tim prepares to test the Batsuit on top of a skyscraper as Barbra handles the technical support from the Batcave in another subtle tribute to her Oracle days. They manage to get the suit up and running as Drake drops a troubling Jokerz couple in front of a Neo-Gotham police station. We get a brief summery on Barbra's personal life when Tim moves in with her. Next morning, Nora and Batman discover that Matt disappeared as the kid arrives through a garbage truck to the destroyed city of Metropolis. Stephen Thompson fills in for Bernard Chang and he maintains the brilliant rendition of the futuristic architecture, action sequences, and the facial expressions. Marcelo Maiolo keeps the series tone and hue through his vibrant colors.

An intriguing slow burn that dives between the flashbacks of the vague past and the turbulent present in a pace that may not please everyone. The art continues to maintain its stellar impact with the pencils of Jorge Jimenez who brings a subtle animated life to his characters design.

This series has received unjustified criticism from some reviewers who were invested in the Convergence event last June which clouded their judgement when looking at this fresh new direction from Daniel Wilson and co. What is certain though is that this series, in particular the first arc, will gain much more focus when read as a trade instead of the single issues format. Since it'll serve an introductory package for readers who will meet the discover the fate of old and new faces and their respective memories and flashback sequences. Like in this issue when Daniel H. Wilson gave us the background tale of Lois Lane (Red Tornado) and her struggle with her city, past, and present in a heartwarming short story about a separated family within this new world. Lane uses her tracking powers to relocate a father with his wife and daughter which ushers a new hope for our estranged heroine. This happens when Lois, Val-Zod, and Kara join Batman (Dick Grayson) in his fight against Terry Sloan who activated a mysterious energy cube knows as the Source Vault. Sloan's incentive was protecting "his new world" from a mysterious traitor which drove him to such extreme measures. The battle ends when the Green Lantern (Alan Scott) contained the cube's energy from effecting the planet. One of the surprising conclusions was the apparent death of Terry Sloan and the provocative disappearance of Superman and the Source Vault from the battle scene. Jorge Jimenez and Alejandro Sanchez handle the art duties and they keep producing great scenary in every issues from the battle scenes, character postures, and the lush backgrounds. Like I said st the start, this series requires patience and hopefully with time the shift will focus on the present events once the catching up flashbacks make their impact.

We get another intake on the scattered lives of our superheroes as this month's point of view and flashback sequences focus on the Flash as he, Batman, and Superman attempt to stop the crashing of the TSS Overwatch-One command ship while traveling on board a breathtaking Batman aircraft by the brilliant Jorge Jimenez. The action revolves more around the Flash as we get an explanation on what he was up to during the initial days of the planet's landing and rebuilding phase for humanity on this new home. Like many have said before, this book will read better in a trade collection for those impatient for a quick explanation of this new Earth 2 status quo. It's a shame some people are dealing with this in an extreme scrutiny but that shouldn't push you away from picking up a book that clearly is setting up the alliances and backstories for future arcs.

The return of J'onn J'onzz in a solo series was a smooth one as the creative team weaves an intriguing story. In this introductory issue, Rob Williams depicts our hero's voice perfectly which should comfort the long time fans of the character. The issue moves between the horror, sci-fi, action, and emotional phases seamlessly. We are introduced to the personal conflict of J'onn, the threat to himself and Earth, the subtle inclusion of the current status quo of the Justice League members and his relationship with them. A much needed recognition for the character after he was ignored during the old "new 52" phase. The art duties were handled by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Gabe Eltaed, and Tom Napolitano. This wonderful team has given me a moment I first went through in Jerry Bingham's opening panel in the Son of the Demon. It was a sky long shot of Gotham's chemical lab in the rain. I remember it because it invoked my imagination for 15 minutes as I pictured Jim Gordon's men surrounding the building with their cars as the rain poured. It happened here too with the articulate sea in the plane crash scene and the special sequence between Mr Biscuits and the children. Barrow's depiction of J'onn's morphing abilities was also spectacular and promising for the series's potential. Gabe Eltaed did a beautiful work with the various plot points' hue and transitions. Napolitano's letters ease you into a scene subtly and effectively. It was an exciting introduction for new and old fans that will leave you asking many question till next month.

Let me first say that I'm loving the Sci-Fi direction this creative team is steering J'onn into, but I have to say that unlike the first issue, this one is damaged by the disjointed flow of certain characters involvement. The focus on Mr. Biscuits does hold its own weight in the book's overall story as the character bears an extraterrestrial mystery similar to our hero. A thing that Pearl, a burglar in Dubai, doesn't share at the moment. like I said, the build up is similar to the rhythm of a Sci-fi TV series that requires the viewer, or reader in this case, to wait as the pieces fall in their place for our peculiar cast to assemble or serve a certain goal. The art is remarkable as always with the synergy presented between Barrows, Eltaeb, and Napolitano. From the pencils to the smooth color transitions, the artistic team takes you witness the emotions between the sorrow depths of Jonn's eyes to his troubled rage morphing within his soul and literally his body. Panel of the issues would be Mr. Biscuits shot in the snow in Washington DC. It's an issue that travels between 3 destinations as it slowly ties them together before leaving us with a thrilling cliffhanger for next month.

Tomasi brings Gordon back to Gotham after his Justice League adventure in the last couple of issues. The story and the settings fit perfectly with the character's past and the present motives seeing how the GCPD Batman was created for the City's needs. The characters' voices, the interactions with Bullock, and this old cases arc are off to a great start that hopefully will maintain the quality it offered in this opening chapter.

Valentine's story continues to explore new boundaries between the characters as Black Mask does the extreme in a showdown with the Hashigawa family. One problem for this issues was the action art again which didn't measure up with the intensity of the story and the rest of David Messina's pages.

A fill-in issue by writers Matt Kindt and Rob Williams as they explore the depth of J'onn J'onzz role on Earth and among the Justice League ranks. The issue continues the journey of self discovery for the Martian Manhunter that started in his own book by Rob Williams yet in a separate event that doesn't require additional knowledge in the character's current "fractured" status quo. Philip Tan (pencils) and Jason Paz (inks) handle the art duties this time around and their contribution depicted the script beautifully. From the moments of self doubt to the clever fight scenes and those solid final pages. The colors of Jeromy Cox brought life to J'onn and his lovely journey to Tokyo, in particular that flying scene across the Japanese capital which was breathtaking.