Penultimatum

Spoilers!

Infinite Crisis # 6 is out. Good slam-bang-heavy issue overall. Superboy Prime returns from the Speed Force, where he claims he was imprisoned with red sunlight for years. It’s good to know that he’s not Anti-Monitor-possessed, that they didn’t resurrect the old villain anymore, and crazy SB Prime’s just sporting energy-draining armor he designed based on the old one he scavenged pre-IC.

The sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths has been enjoyable so far, as it upsets the status quo in the DC Universe again. The body count, the eventual resolution to the funks that Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman have been in, and the expected sacrifice of Superboy (Kon-El/Conner Kent) are some of the many highlights of the penultimate issue. Among COIE’s significant deaths was Supergirl’s, and having Superboy perish this time seems apt. I was kinda hoping for a déjà vu moment where SB-Prime would finish him off the way the Anti-Monitor terminated the original Kara, but it’s a good thing they didn’t go that way.

I actually liked Conner-Superboy immediately after he debuted during the Reign of the Supermen arc, and through the years, he’s been the fun, fresh, naive superhero that added an integral hipness and attitude to several teen teams’ rosters (he was a member of the Ravers, Young Justice, Titans, and the Legion of Superheroes). I especially liked Joe Kelly and Pascual Ferry’s take on him, as well as his portrayal during the Abnett-Lanning stint in Legion just two years ago. I’m not a fan of the brooding and more mature character he’s become lately in Teen Titans, but well, he, along with goofball speedster Impulse had to grow up and become more serious about the superhero biz some time. Conner had a nice sendoff anyway; his and Wonder Girl’s relationship was nicely addressed in the recent Teen Titans Annual. It was obvious that he was going to get killed off soon, and not Nightwing as the previous IC issues have been trying to misleadingly hint at.

And so he’s gone, until he’s resurrected in a future mega-event, that is. But these changes will stick for a while. One issue to go, but we all know the story doesn’t really end there. There’s still 52, the IC Aftermath series of limited series, and of course, the somewhat spoiler-ish One Year Later-arc titles.

Speaking of status quo shakeups, Marvel’s New Avengers: Illuminati special is interesting. This leads to the Mark Millar-penned Civil War limited series, which will pit hero factions siding with and refusing the new Superhero Registration Act against each other. Illuminati is quite good; Bendis shows here that he’s capable of telling an intriguing, self-contained story in one issue. The secret gathering of some of Marvel’s superhero community leaders breaks up over some of the Illuminati members’ recent decisions. The premise is sound enough (although people will question several continuity points), and the Civil War preview (the last few pages of the special) ominously depicts an event that will affect Marvel for the foreseeable future. Or at least, until the next extra-lengthy, everything-changes crossover.

Oh, I also read Young Avengers # 11. I was right! Good thing they didn’t drag the children of ex-Avengers arc out too long. Good issue.

And All-Star Superman # 3: Not as fun as the previous issue for me, but it’s still entertaining. I like the new super-strong mythical characters, as well as Lois Lane’s brief costumed persona as Superwoman.

I’m still randomly reading Essential Marvel Universe Handbooks entries. Informative and very much worth owning, if you don’t have the complete sets already.