The DC Comics Keri Read Over the Holiday Break

I’m sure you noticed that we took a bit of a hiatus over the holiday break. As soon as school got out, well, most everything came to a halt in both of our houses. Now that school is back in session, we’re crawling back into the sunlight, rubbing the sleep from our eyes, and trying to remember all we read. Two weeks of comics is a lot to try to review at once, so we ain’t doing it.

I’m going to write two holiday wrap-ups, starting with all my lovely DC Comics.

Nightwing #11 – New City, New Romance

I swear to God, Dick Grayson gets over women like no one else. Or he really take to heart the old adage of “the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.” He hasn’t bed-hopped yet, but dear Lord he’s going to at the next opportunity, and with a former Gotham villain. Of all the weirdness of Blüdhaven, it’s apparently a safe haven for reforming Gotham villains. In other words, remember all those random villains who failed in past Batman comics? Well, we found a way to bring them all back. And hey, one happens to be female, so you know Dick will be all over that in one way or another. Which he would have if she wasn’t arrested.

Former villains, AMIRITE?

Dude, you just dumped Starfire. Batgirl just dumped you. Can you just chill for a bit? That one panel where he and Defacer almost kissed kind of wrecked the entire issue for me. I love the entire idea of former Gotham villains attending group therapy to rehabilitate into Blüdhaven. But can we please have a romance that’s actually fluid and not rushed right after a breakup? Would that be so hard? Or maybe naturally meet another woman, instead of nearly kissing the first one you meet in a new town? Gee, I wonder why you and Babs can’t work things out.

Cyborg #7 – Spy Games

I couldn’t keep up with how many double-crosses were going on in this issue. At the end of issue 6, the new cyborgian woman Victor helped create betrayed him after sleeping with him. But ah ha! He betrayed her by implanting a remote control on her while they were doing what cyborgs do during sex. But that’s not all! Variant’s partner in this ex-CIA plot betrays her and tries to kill her! And then Victor’s “father” betrays him! You almost needed a score card to follow who was crossing who. Although the spoiler answer is everyone crosses everyone.

That said, though, with the final betrayal, Victor has finally seen that this man is not his father. Perhaps this big arc is wrapping up, although I’ll be sad to see it end. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed how much the comic delves into what makes a person human.

Flash #13 – Holiday Special

The cover to Flash #13 is hysterical, to say the least. It’s a lovely throwback to terrible holiday specials that used to air back in the 80s. I still have nightmares when I remember that the He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special exists. Thankfully, that angry Santa on the cover does not make an appearance, but Tar Pit does indeed take front and center. He’s robbing stores to gather enough cash to pay a ransom for his niece and nephew. This has holiday special all over it.

Kid Flash is taking care of Central City tonight since Barry and Iris are out on their first official date. He wants to do everything on the sly so that neither one of them notice the villainy going on and stop the date for work reasons. When he talks with Tar Pit and learns why he’s on a rampage, Kid Flash offers to help him out and save his family. It’s super sweet, nearly as sweet as the hot chocolate he prepared for Barry and Iris when they returned from their date. The following panel will never not put a smile on my face.

Wally did wonder why Flash never showed up to help him. Come on kid, it’s not that hard…

Titans #6 – Letting Go

Red Wally sacrificed himself to save his friends and Linda Park by running so fast, he falls back into the timestream. Of course we know he can’t stay there, right? Otherwise, what’s been the point of the Titans all this time? He’s certain he’s stuck in the timestream, as he no longer has his lightning rod (Linda Park) to guide him back. Instead, he’s going to live on in the timestream with his memories of his relationship with Linda Park from pre-Flashpoint.

Kadabra and Memory Linda both point out that his relationship with her was but one possibility in time. It doesn’t mean that it can never happen with this current time, but in order for him to see if it will happen, he has to let go of his memories. As for his lightning rod, who was it that went on a manhunt for someone they didn’t know was missing? Who is fighting for him now? The Titans are his lightning rod (cue the My Little Pony – Friendship is Magic theme song).

Thanks to the power of friendship, Wally is able to return and toss Kadabra back where he belongs. Then Lilith does the one thing I hoped would not be true; she confirms that Dr. Manhattan is behind all of it.

Dammit. I know I need to let go of hopes that The Watchmen won’t be a part of the DC Universe Rebirth, but I wish DC would let The Watchmen go as well.

Teen Titans #3 – Damian the Martyr

Damian Wayne is one messed up little kid who is way too like his father. He brings a team together, nearly gets them killed, and then decides the only way to save them all is to do everything by himself. Seriously little guy, is this all because Batman missed your birthday? I’m really curious what he’s going to do next month and if his friends have to step in to bail him out, slap him around a little bit, and send him home for Bat-hugs. Clearly he misses fatherly attention.

At least the rest of the team is doing okay, relatively speaking. Beast Boy, Starfire, and Raven seem happy to have the band back together. They’re very welcoming to Kid Flash and even Robin, who kidnapped them. Although, I have a severe problem with one of Starfire’s lines. The New 52 started a new world of DC after Flashpoint, but I’m fairly certain that Flashpoint included all of the changes we’ve seen across the DC comics including:

• Green Arrow and Black Canary not being together
• A completely different Wally West
• The new backstory for Bart Allen

In the New 52 series of Red Hood and the Outlaws, Starfire was a member of said Outlaws who reconnected with her sister Blackfire. During those meetings, she learned that Blackfire was forced to send her sister into slavery and has cried about it nearly every day since. So did that entire series of Red Hood and the Outlaws not exist or something? Because that would explain why Arsenal doesn’t appear to be in love with her in Titans and why she would say this:

You know what? Maybe I should just wipe that entire series from my brain. It may be the safest course of action, as far as DC Universe Rebirth is concerned.