CONVERGENCE: Week 2

Convergence: Aquaman #1

(Bedard, Richards, Rauch)

The cover art really turned me off to begin with. Luckily the art inside, done by Cliff Richards, wasn't as bad. Judging from the line up of worlds for week 2, this Aquaman is from Pre-Zero Hour Earth who is stuck in Metropolis. You can also tell from the loss of the left hand and harpoon that replaced it! This is a gritty, angry Aquaman already. Then, Bedard takes him out of the sea and severs his connection with his element. This really makes him a bit rough. But all the better. He finds himself opposite of Image's Deathblow. If they do the character justice, we've got one hell of a fight on our hands. Once again, it's a story that is, not only, well written, but leads in naturally to the showdown.

Convergence: Catwoman #1

(Gray, Randall, Eltaeb)

Once again, we have a Pre-Zero Hour Catwoman also stuck in Metropolis. The cover doesn't reveal it, but we have the purple body suit clad version with all the womanly accentuations. And that whip! Nice! It's a decent story. But the sudden appearance of Kingdom Come Batman was a bit abrupt. And, the artistic translation from Alex Ross' impecable painted renditions leave a bit to be desired.

Convergence: Green Lantern/Parallax

(Bedard, Wagner, Reinhold, Mounts)

This issue was a treat with both Kyle Rayner and Hal Jordan starring in this Pre-Zero Hour story. Also written by Bedard, we see Kyle visit Hal who is in jail after the whole Parallax ordeal. Once the powers are turned back on and dome is dropped, both Hal and Kyle have their rings back. Unfortunately, for all involved (besides ourselves of course), Jordan is Parallax again. Rayner was supposed to fight 'Lady Fern' from Electropolis, a pre-Crisis world where Lady Quark and Lord Volt came from. But, Parallax has other plans. And I wonder what Telos will do with his intrusion into the contest?

Convergence: Suicide Squad

(Tieri, T. Mandrake, S. Mandrake)

No surprise, with a movie on the horizon, that we get a Suicide Squad story in the middle of the Convergence. Once again, we are in Pre-Zero Hour Metropolis (is there just one, or are there multiple copies? If not, it's got to be a bit crowded and busy. And why are there more than one champion?) Anyway, there were so many twists and turns in this one. They find themselves up against Kingdom Come Green Lantern. Not sure that it's one of the sanctioned fights, but what about the Suicide Squad is 'sanctioned'? Some one betrays Haller, but we don't know who. And Oracle has recruited an ace in the hole of their own. Lex Luthor and is that a yellow Lantern ring? Oh, yeah, this is one to pick up! (I didn't even tell you the team they've assembled. You really gotta see this one.

Convergence: Supergirl Matrix

(Giffen, Green II, Silver, Hi-Fi)

This one brings us Pre-Zero Hour Supergirl (a protoplasmic matrix who thinks she's Supergirl according to Lex) and a Lex Luthor with his Superman and with his hair. This one gets right down to the showdown and, for once, I don't feel it's rushed or forced. Lady Quark and Lord Volt have personalities and the married couple banter was good. Thus, it becomes more than a mashed together death match. Luthor's condescending attitude is refreshing also alongside Supergirl's cluelessness. (Oh, I bet that goes over like a real brick in today's comic climate). But the comedy is good. Giffen is one of my favorites from that era. He knows it well. And you'll never guess the surprise appearance at the end! Read this! It's gonna be fun!

Convergence: Shadow of the Bat #1

(Hama, Tan, Paz, Hunter, Santos)

This was another gem from Pre-Zero Hour. As you can tell by the cover, Azrael is back! And he's got company. He's teaming up with Bruce Wayne, yep, the Batman himself! This was fun from cover to cover. The dynamics between Wayne and Jean Paul are amazing. The crime lord was formidable, but had no chance. And the introduction of WET WORKS into the mix was welcome. At the end there was some sort of 'Time Slip' or 'Reality Shift' happened. I couldn't image it getting any better, but I'm on board!

Convergence: Green Arrow #1

(Marx, Morales, St-Aubin, Ruffino)

I'm not a big Green Arrow fan. I even have a hard time watching CW's Arrow. So, it didn't surprise me that this one lost me. Needless to say, the art work was fine and the action engaging, but I had no idea what was going on. Suffice it to say, this is all about family and running into Kingdom Come 'friends'. If you love or, at least, loved Pre-Zero Hour Green Arrow, you should get this. If you don't, probably skip this one.

Convergence: Justice League International

(Marz, Manley, Sotocolor)

Another Pre-Zero Earth favorite was that era's Justice League. And this group shines bright in the International version. Although I would have rather had Keith Giffen write these characters (especially after reading Supergirl Matrix), Ron Marz of Kyle Rayner GL fame did a good job. The art was also good although, one again, Kingdom Come looses a bit in translation from the Alex Ross greatness. Needless to say, it's the old school JLI vs Kingdom Come heroes. It should be interesting.

Convergence: Superboy

(Nicieza, Moline, Marzan, Hi-Fi)

The cover alone brings me back. This whole return to Pre-Zero Hour has had me remembering the chaos of the time just after the Death of Superman. And Superboy was one of those titles (right down to his transition to the Ravers title) that had me reading! And it's no different now. The Super clone finds himself going head to head with some of Kingdom Come's best. Dick Grayson and Wally West aka Flash and Red Robin. But the real treat is the showdown teased at the end. Nope. Not going to tell you anything. You need to pick this up!

Convergence: Superman, Man of Steel

(Simonson, Brigman, Richardson, Rauch)

To finish off the best of Pre-Zero Hour earth, we get the return of STEEL. Now, despite the bad Shaq movie, he was one of the favorites in the Post-Superman world. Now, this was my second least favorite cover right after that hipster Aquaman cover. The metal wonder twins were a bit of a yawner. Possibly the only thing that could save this issue was an appearance by GEN13! But the inclusion of Superman's old foe, Parasite, makes things a little crazy. Steel's down and so is Gen13. Why doesn't this feel like the origin of STEEL II? Better watch this one!

This was totally a better round of stories than week one. So, if you got turned off by the first wave, pick up some of these second waves and enjoy! It's got me crazy, excited for week 3!