Here's the New 52 Metal Men for the Silver Age Geeks!

The solicits for the Justice League books for February 2014 have been released and it featured something retro...

So yeah, it looks like Will Magnus has finally completed the Metal Men...

Here's the solicit:

JUSTICE LEAGUE #28
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:25 Steampunk variant cover by DAN PANOSIAN
On sale FEBRUARY 19 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US

“FOREVER EVIL” continues! With the Justice League gone, new heroes continue to rise up throughout the DC Universe! The Crime Syndicate tried to kill him, but now Cyborg is back to settle the score — and with him are The Metal Men!

This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

*** I like the fact that after being a failure of EPIC proportions in Justice League # 18 Platinum returns to lead the Metal Men and with Cyborg to boot. 

Oh yeah and there's still the matter of Forever Evil.

Forever Evil # 2 Spoilers

All the interesting things from this month's FOREVER EVIL # 2 by Geoff Johns and David Finch.

Here we go.

1. OTIS from Superman the Movie makes a cameo

Johns is really a Donner fanboy. He's so much the fanboy that he stuck in Gene Hackman Lex Luthor's bumbling sidekick from the Donner "Superman the Movie" and made him a legit character.

2. The Teen Titans are back in San Francisco

Last I checked the Titans were living in a boat that was docked in New York. So now that Johns is writing the Teen Titans again, did he just transplant the young heroes to their original habitat? I want that. So many mistakes DC's done over the past two years and here's me hoping that the Teen Titans get the Titans Tower again in San Francisco.

3. Power Ring is sick...

Figuratively and literally. He needs Deathstorm (which lets assume is an evil Earth 3 version of Professor Stein) to keep whatever the hell infection at bay while doing his jome with the Crime Syndicate.

4. So many Earth 3 Questions

Who is the masked man? What did he do? How did he betray the team? What is this creature the Syndicate's so afraid of? A bigger threat or next year's main villain?

5. Classic Love Triangle

Johns takes the classic Superwoman is married to Ultraman but is in love with Owlman and turns it sideways by giving Superwoman a baby to care for and conceal. It's not Ultraman's kid too, it's Thomas Wayne Jr.'s...

Guess we need to call in Maury down the line.

6. Earth 3 Dick Grayson

Wayne and Alfred of Earth 3 are fixated with Nightwing aka Dick Grayson. We read snippets of Dick's Earth 3 counterpart and now we pan our attention to the topic once more. Could they have brought alone the good-evil version of Nightwing?

7. The Real Bizarro

Cool! The real, honest-to-goodness Bizarro is here. Whether that's cool or not, it's really up to you.

8. Goodbye Otis

Thank god Lex Luthor had Bizarro kill Otis. Thank you!

9. Johnny Quick versus Kid Flash



Always wanted to see these two fight. And now that I did, I can definitely say that Bart needs a lot of training.

10. Titans Lost in Time



Similar to that Teent Titans and Legion of Superheroes crossover that Geoff Johns did years ago, the writer has sent the teens to parts unknown thanks to the Speed Force in Bart's veins. This should be interesting. SHOULD.

11. Luthor Gears Up. Needs Kord's Tech

Luthor explains that he needed something from Kord Industries but he's willing to set that aside in order to fight Ultraman and the Crime Syndicate together with Bizarro.

12. Batman and Catwoman survived

And they brought along Victor Stone who incurred massive damage when Grid appeared out of nowhere.

Kinda slow if you ask me. Still plan on reading this through although I'm already seeing some cracks in the armor so to speak...

BATMAN AND ROBIN # 23.1 - TWO FACE Review

Took me awhile before I got my hands on BATMAN AND ROBIN # 23.1 - TWO FACE by Peter Tomasi and Guillem March. But here it is.

Written by:
Peter J. Tomasi
Art by:
Guillem March
Cover by:
Chris Burnham

"Two-Face is approached to join the Secret Society! Which side will his coin land on?"

So what hooked me here is that it's a book that literally surprises readers in a lot of aspects. Let me list down and point out the various two-sidedness of this stand alone issue.

Two-Face always intrigued me, but DC never had great stuff for the character and as such he was always relegated to the sidelines. Jim Lee's Hush gave us a chance to start liking the 'reformed' Harvey Dent and for awhile he really did kick ass both as Gotham's top district attorney (it's a long story) and as a vigilante of sorts. Then DC decided to throw it all out by returning Dent to the Two-Face persona we all know and love to hate.

That was it. Back to being a one-trick pony and a sub villain for major arcs. There were those brief moments when we almost saw Dent as a good guy once again such as during the initial tease for "Batman Reborn" and "Battle for the Cowl' but that was all a ruse and nothing more. Then the New 52 came and cemented Dent once again as a bad guy.

Whew, such a long intro I apologize but all that has a point. You see in this issue, what basically happens is Dent goes on mulling the possibility of joining The Secret Society which leads to that four page spread from FOREVER EVIL # 1. Before that though we see a little of Harvey's noble side. The dude postulates that Gotham needs a protector or a destroyer. As the story progresses we see that Mr. Dent actually has the capacity to do both.

March's panelling here is exquisite much less his art. Around the middle of the issue, we're already being treated to a two-faced panel of sorts with the top focusing on the violence and chaos that the Crime Syndicate has presented to the criminal scum of Gotham. On the bottom panel is the order and justice that Harvey Dent once walked proudly on. Yes it's amazing. 

The last part is the standard denouement for Dent who makes a chilling choice and a stronger case of insanity. His perversion on the fairness of a coin flip and it's play on the Secret Society's mode of communication and teleportation. 

If DC's mission statement for the FOREVER EVIL tie-ins is to let us peer into the mind of a killer I can definitely vouch for Batman and Robin # 23.1 for it's insanity and grit. Go, grab this book. 

GRADE: A

More Details for DC Collectibles Crime Syndicate Action Figures

DC Collectibles has released added information regarding their upcoming CRIME SYNDICATE wave of Action Figures based on these baddies appearance on FOREVER EVIL. 

Personally though after seeing what they'll look like, I'm kinda NOT getting this. Perhaps just Owlman to add to the growing Batman collection but other than that I might pass. I guess the design plus the translation to figure just ruined it for me. Check out the other photos below:









Also I notice that they didn't include DEATHSTORM in the list of figures they've crafted. Here's the tentative release date for these figures:

- Johnny Quick with Atomica Action Figure – March 2014
- Owlman Action Figure – March 2014
- Power Ring Action Figure – February 2014
- Superwoman Action Figure – February 2014
- Ultraman Action Figure – February 2014

Source

FOREVER EVIL # 1 SPOILERS

Posting major spoilers for DC Comics' FOREVER EVIL # 1 by Geoff Johns and David Finch.

In this issue Lex Luthor tries to blackmail somebody but his chopper crashes. His intended prey dies at the hands of Ultraman. In Gotham, Nightwing attempts to deliver Zsasz to Arkham but he is beaten and abducted. We also find out in this issue that Green Kryptonite makes Ultraman strong. He takes it by inhalation too which is very creepy.



During the four page spread featuring most of the DCU New 52 Villains, the Crime Syndicate proudly announces this:



Sadly, not everybody is happy with the change in the status quo. This includes Captain Cold and the Rogues as well as C-Lister The Monocle...



... and which he dies for.

While being broadcast around the world, the Crime Syndicate also reveals Nightwing's secret identity...





Yes, DC definitely pulled a Civil War level unmasking... Wonder how the former Boy Wonder can bounce back from this.

If there's any consolation from the things that have been depicted here in FOREVER EVIL # 1 it's the fact that there's an inherent weakness to Ultraman and that is that he gets easily hurt by Earth 1's yellow sun, prompting him to take action...

Kinda campy to see Lex Luthor utter "This looks like a job for Superman". Also if you didn't read between the line, Luthor will be leading his team of villains to fight the Crime Syndicate due to his ego being stepped on by Ultraman who shrugged him off during the early parts of issue 1.

The story was OK but the art plays between hit and miss. Some characters just sucked when being drawn by artists like Finch. 

FOREVER EVIL # 1 Preview

And now sharing the preview for FOREVER EVIL # 1 by Geoff Johns and David Finch

i like that this is going to be the story of the bad guys joining up and becoming a cohesive fighting unit in the absence of the three Justice League teams. One question though, what happens to the other non-JL/JLA/JLD heroes? Where's STORMWATCH while this is all happening?

Maybe we'll find out next week. Oh and the art is stil "meh".

JUSTICE LEAGUE # 23 Spoilers

SPOILERS UP for JUSTICE LEAGUE # 23 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis and Joe Prado

I was wrong. So wrong in subscribing to the theory that SUPERMAN was replaced. Anyway I loved the latest issue of JUSTICE LEAGUE as it's the final leg of TRINITY WAR and the major reveal of who's really responsible for all this commotion.


10. Heroic Pandemonium

With the exception of Batman and Constantine, looks like the corrupting influence of Pandora's Box has seeped into the heads of the members of the three Justice League teams and it's giving us page after page of awesome fights. One of the best was when a really weakened Superman threatens to kill Batman after thinking that Wonder Woman will go for the Dark Knight if ever he dies. I'm also citing this as the number 1 silliest thing from the entire TRINITY WAR crossover.

9. ATOM revealed as TRAITOR

Wait, hold up, we already know that the female ATOM is the traitor right? Well the answer is partly yes and partly no. Yes she's a traitor and a mole but not for either the Justice League or the Justice League of America. She's been working undercover for The Crime Syndicate.

Meet GRID

It's next to impossible to take down Cyborg except if you separate his tech half from his human half; something that Atom (really Earth 3's ATOMIKA) exploited the moment she reveals GRID, a virus that's been inside Vic Stone for years now.

The Butler Did It

Yes, apparently the reason why the ring was easily stolen inside the Batcave was because it was the evil version of Alfred Pennyworth that did it together with Atomika.

Owlman (Thomas Wayne) and evil Alfred Pennyworth

Putting a Sliver of Kryptonite

That's easily one of the easiest thing you could do to take down Superman. And because of Atom's kryptonite to the brain trick, the Heat Vision surged which also cost them the life of Dr. Light.

A Dead Aquaman

Bad ass as he may be, he's actually dead already.

Imagine my surprise when we first see the Earth 3 version of Aquaman emerge from the portal that came from Pandora's Box

The Mystery Man

Who could this mystery man?? Why is he so important that the Syndicate needs to bring him/her along. Clues, probably are in FOREVER EVIL.

THE CRIME SYNDICATE!

Our first look at the CRIME SYNDICATE of EARTH 3. Nuff said.

Damn! Now we move on to FOREVER EVIL!