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So ends Dan Slott trying to get residuals for characters that might appear in Across the Spider-Verse Part 2 or as PlayStation skins.

Donny Cates breaks the streak of quality Thor we've had since Dan Jurgens' run. Maybe he'll get Daredevil and break that next.

This isn't the thing that Peter did. That hasn't happened yet. A bunch of stuff like stealing from the FF and going to Norman Osborn for help hasn't been shown yet.

Is there at least a decent explanation for why Ben Reilly is acting so out of character in this?

Fun breezy read

Isn't this the fourth time in four years that Gotham has fallen to a warlord in a personal war with Batman? Bane, Joker, Scarecrow, and now Failsafe.

I like how low stakes this is. It is just hanging out with characters you like. I liked that Claremont picked up on the Ororo witch lineage subplot from back in the Lifedeath period of Uncanny. Its very Claremonty full of skilled people and working-class problems rubbing up against the fantastic. That's just the kind of book it is and I can meet it on those terms pretty easily.

A little choppy in spots but I liked Storm and Gambit's interplay. The art is interesting it kind of reminds me of really early Jose Ladronn.

You could tell writing these characters again was like sliding on a pair of comfy shoes for David. This was a fun read.

The stories around Batman/Catwoman (Batman Annual #2, the stories from Catwoman 80th and Detective #1027, and this one) are so much better than the actual series which has stretched the strengths of those stories far too thin. The main story of Batman and Catwoman's life and deaths are all in the side stories and the main mini seems superfluous. I kind of wish that series didn't exist and that those stories and this were Tom King's last Batman.

That was sensual

When they collect this they need to pay Clay Mann to draw the issues he missed. The Liam Sharp issues effed the flow of this real bad.

This issue really lost me...Catwoman is just an insufferably smug brat, the art just doesn't mesh well with the rest of the series, it's just not clicking. Frustrating.

This was a good time.

Just fun

I like this issue as an issue while realizing it fails to tie everything in the run together. I connect with its sentimentality.

Bendis' tightest writing in a long time. Playful and colorful with just gorgeous artwork.

This series never quite came together the way Grass Kings did. Never bad but never better than good. It's best issues were in the middle and the end feels a bit compressed. Still I like this team and hope for more by them.

Baseline Batman comic but weirdly refreshing counterprogramming to King (who I enjoy). I like it.

A better start than Pearl. The insider baseball stuff appealed to me, the bad news Father was well-handled, and the relationship between the main and the handler had good chemistry. The art was nice though the transitions between different styles I couldn't decipher what they were supposed to mean exactly. I can't tell if that is me or the art but it didn't hinder my enjoyment. Better start than Pearl or Superman but not as good as Action Comics yet.

I found the main character instantly compelling, the conflict of her being a reluctant assassin set-up efficiently, though the love interest will need a little work for me to get past the fact that he is a guy who wears a jacket with shorts. Some of the storytelling during the drive-by is murky but the scene where she gets threatened by her boss has wonderful tension.

Probably my favorite issue so far. We find out what caused the current crisis, the tension is ratcheted up with the Justice League being taken out of the equation, Rogol Zaar forms an alliance with Jax-ur (which surely can't last given Zaar's feelings about Kryptonians) and launches an attack on earth with only a Superman who is slowly losing his powers to stand in the way. The scene with Adam Strange would be funnier if I wasn't wondering how he was breathing in space. The reason Earth is in the Phantom Zone is mundane. It would have actually been cool if Livewire's attempted robbery had been the reason the experiment went haywire. I'm enjoying this story so far and the title shows improvement in each issue though there is something that holds it back each issue as well. This kind of story is not Bendis' strong suit but it is better here than other times he has attempted it.

Bendis' best issue overall since he took over the character. His take on Perry White and Clark Kent remain standouts, the new characters are interesting, the Cat Grant cameo was welcomed, and the main plot of the secret underworld of Metropolis moves along well. The characterization of Guardian was a little odd and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to take it at face value or not. The artwork is incredible, channeling Ed McGuiness and Bruce Timm equally. I'm glad the Lois in hiding thing isn't being strung out too long.

This is a reacting to disaster issue. Stakes are setup and we learn what happened to Rogol Zaar after he went into the Zone and that he isn't responsible for the current crisis. Bendis' Justice League still needs some work. Bendis' Superman remains impeccable, some of his best individual character writing in memory. I don't dislike Rogol Zaar like some but I think he needed a rest before coming back. He's going to need some depth of he is going to stick around. Gorgeous art, colors are washed out on the flat paper, I think the colorist needs to adjust.

The Martian Manhunter scene reads weird though it comes across better the second time around. I like the idea that characters can misspeak and I can see J'onn coming to these ideas even if some of the phrasings still seems off for the character. The transition to the ending is jarring which is supposed to be the point because it is a surprise to Superman but that doesn't smooth it over completely. The scenes of Superman missing his family hit well and I like the bit in the Daily Planet. I think I'd have liked Superman's reasoning why he would put the Fortress in the Bermuda Triangle this issue. A likable if not a great opener.

Stronger than Superman #1, Bendis is naturally more suited to the day-to-day stuff than expansive super epics. Patrick Gleason's change in style from the Rebirth Superman title is fascinating and keeping him on the character was a smart call.

Clunky start, strong finish. Grass Kings was an amazing story so this team has a lot of goodwill from me to be patient while they get this very stylistically different book going.

Metal is a story that I want to love and I think wants to be loved for the ways it weaves together little details of DC and sets it against the backdrop of a grand apocalypse. The little details have been my favorite part of Metal which is why I have liked the Dark Days issues and Batman Lost the best. I have a feeling that Snyder prefers these little details too which is why they keep getting in the way of the apocalyptic narrative in the main book. Lost is a good simulacrum of Grant Morrison style existential traps. Which makes sense as Metal is both a literal and spiritual sequel to Final Crisis/Return of Bruce Wayne. It is an interlude better than the main story it is taking a break from at least up until this point.

After two one-shot lead-ins and three issues, it still feels like the story hasn't started. The bar scene robs all momentum from the issue. I've come this far so I'm gonna finish it but after 100-plus pages of set-up, I want them to stop explaining how the plot works and tell a story.