Infinite Frontier #0 is finally here! Make no mistake, this is DC’s moment of truth. DC bet all-in with New 52 and completely failed. The New 52 was the type of gamble that a company makes that is extremely hard to walk back from if it fails. And the New 52 failed. Spectacularly. This led DC to go into panic mode with Convergence and then Rebirth. However, the result was a muddied continuity and a DCU that lacked a clear direction and identity.
This was further made complicated by the bizarre 5G plans to trash tons of established characters. Then the bloodbath started as AT&T fired tons of top-level executives and editors including Dan DiDio himself. DC now must account for themselves and show their corporate overload in AT&T why DC Comics should be allowed to exist and publish comics. DC cannot afford to fail with Infinite Frontier. There are a lot of expectations for this new initiative. Let’s go ahead and hit this review for Infinite Frontier #0!
Words: Brian Bendis, James Tynion, IV, Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Joelle Jones, Tim Sheridan, Philip Kennedy Johnson, Joshua Williamson, Geoff Johns, and Geoffrey Thorne
Art: David Marquez, Jorge Jimenez, Alitha Martinez, Mark Morales, Joelle Jones, Stephen Byrne, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Jamal Igle, Alex Maleev, Todd Nauck, Dexter Soy, Howard Porter, John Romita, Jr., and Klaus Janson
Colors: Tamra Bonvillain, Tomeu Morey, Emilo Lopez, Alejandro Sanchez, Hi-Fi, Jordie Bellaire, Alex Sinclair, Brad Anderson, and Stephen Byrne
Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: We begin with Wonder Woman ascending to a higher plane and looking at the Multiverse in total. Suddenly, the Quintessence appears on the scene. This includes The Spectre, Phantom Stranger, Ganthet, The Wizard, Highfather, and Hera. The Quintessence offer Wonder Woman a chance to become a cosmic god and join their group. She will watch over the new Multiverse along with the rest of the Quintessence.
Wonder Woman says that she is concerned about the lurking threat that she needs to protect the new Multiverse from. That she was warned of a great cost for restarting the Multiverse. The Quintessence assures Wonder Woman that there is no great threat out there. The Quintessence then has Spectre take Wonder Woman to check in on all of her friends to see that everything is okay.
We cut to Wonder Woman and Spectre arriving in Egypt. We see Superman arriving on the scene only to find that the Fire God villain who attacked the civilians has already been defeated. The civilians say that Sazadam defeated the villain. The civilians show Superman video footage of Shazadam. It is Black Adam in a black and gold version of Shazam’s costume. Evidently, Sazadam has been protecting the civilians for a while now. The civilians say that Shazadam is like Superman.
The Flash then appears on the scene. Superman says that it was Black Adam who saved the day. Superman says that maybe this is who Black Adam is now. The Flash marvels at Superman’s ability to hope for the best about everyone even villains.
We then shift to Spectre and Wonder Woman arriving at Arkham Asylum in Gotham. We see an Arkham guard named Mahoney checking on Bane. Mahoney discovers that Bane has been killed by Joker toxin. Mahoney radios the main security room to order a full lockdown. We see the guards in the security room are already dead from Joker toxin.
We cut to Cassandra Cain, and Stephanie Brown working as the “Batgirls” and beating up some thugs. The Batgirls radio Barbara Gordon who is back at her headquarters along with Huntress (Bleh. Not a fan of Huntress’s new look). Barbara is now operating as Oracle. Barbara finds being Oracle even more powerful than being Batgirl. Barbara says it also gives her spinal implant more rest. Barbara says that she will still don the Batgirl costume from time to time when the moment calls for it. Babs then notices an alert from Arkham Asylum.
We zip to Jace and Lucious Fox playing chess. They are talking about how the Fox family is now the richest family in Gotham. They discuss their responsibility to Gotham going forward. Suddenly, Grifter busts into the scene and says that he needs to get Jace and Lucious to a panic room. That there is a Joker attack at Arkham.
We zip to Montoya meeting with the Mayor of Gotham. Montoya fills the mayor in on the attack at Arkham. We cut back to Mahoney running through Arkham and seeing that all of the other guards are dead from the Joker toxin. Mahoney keeps a rag over his mouth to protect himself. We see Batman on his way to Arkham.
Spectre then takes Wonder Woman to Themyscira. Hippolyta is still mourning over Diana’s “death.” We see various Amazons training to be the next Wonder Woman. Hippolyta then gathers Nubia and two other Amazons and takes them to a room where a box with Medusa’s head is stored. The Amazon who has a just heart and clear mind will be able to look at Medusa and not turn to stone. The two Amazons with Nubia turn chicken and say they will not look into the box.
Nubia opens the box and pulls out a crown. Hippolyta reveals that Nubia will serve as the queen of the Amazons. Hippolyta is now going to replace Diana and her mission in Man’s world and figure out what Yara Flor and the Amazons of Brazil are up to.
We zip to Boise Air Terminal. Yara is arguing with her Aunt Renata. Renata does not want Yara to return to Brazil. Yara’s Uncle Brian tells them to stop arguing and smile for a picture. Yara tells her family she loves them and heads off to her plane. We see two women (Brazilian Amazons?) watching and saying that they have located the target.
We shift to the Justice Society of America’s brownstone. Alan Scott is meeting with his children Jade and Obsidian. We see pictures of the original JSA and Infinite, Inc. Alan says that he is gay. His children hug him and tell him that they love him. (This seems really forced and random. But, whatever.) Alan says that some of the greatest minds in this world are looking out at the frontier again. They have asked Alan to be a sentinel (See what they did there?) overlooking the totality of this world. Alan said that it would not be right to take that job without finally being the whole of himself with his friends and family. (Yeah…still really forced. But, whatever.)
Spectre and Wonder Woman then zip to a bunch of teens all with backpacks with the same “T” logo on them. The teens all hop on a ferry boat. They are all excited about their new school. We see the teens arriving at Titans Island.
Spectre and Wonder Woman then head over to Metropolis where Jonathan Kent is battling an Empyreal Maw. Its weapons are space and time itself. Specter says that Jonathan Kent is the darkness that Wonder Woman seeks. Spectre says that Jonathan Kent must never become Superman. Spectre says that Jonathan Kent is of no place and no time. He was conceived on one world, born on another, and both are now gone. Spectre says that Jonathan’s future is one of a tyrant.
We then see Jonathan using the Maw’s own power to reach through time and space and find it when it was newly born, alone, and helpless. Jonathan then returns the young Maw back to its rightful home. The Maw then is reunited with its family. Wonder Woman says this is a sign that Jonathan is a true hero. Spectre says that Jonathan can remain for now, but he is still a lost one and the Earth will pay the price for that one day.
The Spectre and Wonder Woman then zip over to Oliver Queen and Black Canary naked and under a blanket cuddling together. (Ehhhh..super creepy, Spectre and Diana!) Oliver and Dinah talk about how their lost memories are all coming back. That Mister Terrific said it might take some time. Oliver then gets a phone call from someone who says nothing and then hangs up.
We cut to that mysterious person who was calling from a gas station in the middle of the desert. That person is ROY HARPER! (OH, MY GOD! HE’S BACK! Screw you, Tom King!) Toy says that it is not time to talk to Ollie, Dick, Donna, or Jason. Roy says that he is back from the dead and has no idea why.
The Spectre and Wonder Woman then slide over to Omaha where Stargirl and Stripsey (Pat Dugan) are battling King Midas. Pat takes out King Midas. Stargirl thanks her stepfather for the help in taking down the villain. We learn that Stripsey used to be a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory (Shining Knight, Crimson Avenger, Wing, Green Arrow, Speedy, The Vigilante, Star Spangled Kid and Stripsey).
We cut to Courtney arriving late at school because of the fight with King Midas. Principal Sherman catches Courtney and is about to give her detention when Pat appears and says that it was his fault. That they had car trouble this morning. Principal Sherman accepts the excuse and walks away.
Courtney thanks her stepfather for saving her twice today. Pat then gets a phone call from the Vigilante. The Vigilante says that the Soldiers need Pat and then hangs up. Pat then tells Courtney to ditch school and come with him.
We zip back to Gotham. Mahoney tells Batman that everyone is dead except for two nurses in a storage room. A massive fire has now broken out in Arkham. Mahoney heads off to help them. Batman says that he is almost there and tells Mahoney to get outside of Arkham.
Mahoney rushes into the storage room and grabs the two nurses and carries them out of the room before it explodes from the fire reaching the cans of gas. There is a massive explosion and Mahoney flings the nurses forward and absorbs the blast. We see Batman finally arriving on the scene. Batman rushes to Mahoney who is blown to bits. Mahoney asks if the nurses are safe. Batman says that the nurses are safe. Mahoney then dies.
Gotham Police then arrive on the scene and pull their guns on Batman. The police say that Batman is under arrest since the Mayor has said that there are no more masks welcome in Gotham. Batman ignores the cops and scans Arkham with his computer optics. There are seventeen survivors. Batman heads into the fire to rescue the survivors.
We shift to Simon Saint at his penthouse talking to Scarecrow. Simon asks if Scarecrow thinks the people of Gotham are ready for what his magistrate program has to offer them. Are they finally scared enough to change? Scarecrow answers that they are not scared enough, but that they will be soon.
Spectre and Wonder Woman then zip to a ship that is in hyperspace and bound for Oa. Aboard the ship is John Stewart, Baz, and Teen Lantern. We learn that Hall, Kyle, Guy, and Jess are all out protecting the Crux Worlds. Our Green Lanterns then arrive at Oa.
Spectre and Wonder Woman then zip over to the House of Heroes within the Multiverse. President Superman asks Barry Allen how the cosmic vibrational frequencies are looking. We cut to Barry at the Totality. Barry says that everything looks fine. President Superman asks Barry if he has considered their offer. Barry says that he is flattered and he needs to take care of a few things first.
Suddenly, Wally West appears on the scene. Barry says that he called Wally to the Totality to tell him that the Justice Incarnate has offered him a position on the team. That Barry will be their Earth’s representative on the team. That the Justice Incarnate is observing the formation of the new Multiverse. The Justice Incarnate will explore and map the new Multiverse. They have discovered two mysterious new sourced of energy in the Multiverse. They are opposites. One is the Elseworld. The other is Earth Omega.
Barry then says that Wally is the Flash and that Wally will take care of Central City and serve with the Justice League in place of Barry. Barry says that Wally will do an amazing job. They two then race home to go have a BBQ with Jay Garrick.
We then see Spectre and Wonder Woman continue to walk through the Multiverse. We see a ton of different panels focusing on various aspects of the DCU. (OH, MY GOD! IS THAT THE REAL TEEN TITANS BACK TOGETHER AGAIN?! I also see Blue and Gold together and better than ever!)
The Spectre and Wonder Woman teleport back to the rest of the Quintessence. The Spectre asks if she is satisfied. Wonder Woman says, “Yes.” The Quintessence asks if Wonder Woman is ready to join them. Wonder Woman replies that she feels confident that her friends can brave the journey ahead of them without her. But, Wonder Woman says that she will not be joining the Quintessence.
Wonder Woman says that she cannot just stay and watch. That she has to start a new chapter of her life. That she finds herself on a different shore and set sail into the Infinite Frontier.
We then get an Epilogue on Earth Omega. The Quintessence arrives and says that they should have told Wonder Woman that they already trapped the threat that she was worried about. That Earth Omega shall serve as the prison for this threat.
Suddenly, we hear someone off-panel say, “Die.” Black energy beams then kill everyone in the Quintessence. (Ummmmm….okay.) The mysterious person says that he has been reconstructed from his lesser forms. All of his past aspects have genome one. His true form. His power exceeds that it was before the first Crisis. That this new Multiverse is infinite. But, he is finite. He is final.
We then see Darkseid standing over the dead members of the Quintessence. Darkseid says, “Darkseid is…THE END.” End of issue.
The Good: There is a ton to unpack from Infinite Frontier #0. DC packed so much information into this one issue. There is no doubt that DC has literally their future riding on this new big event and the new direction for the entire DCU line of comic books. Will it pay off? Nobody knows. I will say that I am more intrigued by what DC teased in Infinite Frontier #0 than I was heading into this issue. There is no doubt that the direction DC is taking with Infinite Frontier is by far and away superior to their idiotic 5G plans. So, at least we have that going for this new direction of the DCU.
Since there is so much to go through with Infinite Frontier #0, I thought we should structure this review differently than a normal review. Infinite Frontier #0 is really just a fancy sampler pack offering an interesting look into eleven different stories that will be taking place on various different comic books in the upcoming months. So, we are going to break out our commentary with each different story that was presented in Infinite Frontier #0.
Batman Family Story
Words: James Tynion, IV
Art: Jorge Jimenez
Colors: Tomeu Morey
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7.5 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: The Batman story by Tynion dominated Infinite Frontier #0. That should be of no surprise since The Batman franchise is by far and away DC’s best-selling franchise. As DC cuts back on the number of monthly titles that they publish you can be sure that the one franchise that will not suffer many cuts will be The Batman franchise. In fact, going forward, The Batman franchise should be taking up an even larger percentage of DC’s new monthly titles than ever before.
At any rate, Tynion does an excellent job with his teaser Batman story. The Batman story treats the reader to the most action and excitement out of all of the stories in Infinite Frontier #0. Tynion layers plenty of emotion into his story. The story oozes with dread, mystery, and excitement. Tynion effectively establishes the main characters for The Batman franchise going forward and how each of them fit in with each other. Tynion also quickly and clearly establishes the main villains for his new direction for The Batman franchise. Best of all, Tynion does all of this in a striking manner with the destruction of Arkham Asylum and the numerous deaths of many Batman villains. This is how you grab the reader’s attention.
While I may be sick of the Joker, most fans are not. So, Tynion’s decision to lead with the Joker taking down Arkham Asylum is sure to excite most readers. On the other hand, I do like the selection of Simon Saint and Scarecrow as the villainous duo for Batman to battle in this story. Introducing Simon into the story blends some of Future State into the current DCU.
Tynion also shocks the reader with the fact that there are only seventeen survivors from the Joker’s attack on Arkham Asylum. That should lead to many dead Batman villains. We already know that Bane has been killed. In the end, we all know that death is temporary in comic books. To be sure, Bane and the other villains will come back to life at some point. However, this still should provide for an interesting plot in upcoming issues of Batman.
I also liked Tynion’s decision to return Barbara Gordon to her role as Oracle. This is the role that has always suited Barbara the best. It was Babs’ run as Oracle that really evolved and advanced her character from being just a boring derivative character to being her own unique and interesting character. I am looking forward to seeing Oracle in the upcoming stories.
Tynion is one of DC’s best writers and it shows in his quality of writing. Tynion delivers excellent character work and well-crafted dialogue. The story is well-paced and moves forward with a clear purpose in mind. I like how all the various pieces and characters in The Batman franchise come together in a logical and intelligent fashion.
I am all in on seeing what Tynion has in store for The Batman franchise. This has the potential to be an incredibly entertaining ride. Tynion should be commended for his impressive ability to succinctly and effectively touch on the massive number of characters in The Batman franchise.
The Bad: I have to admit that having Batman swinging his way through the city while saying he is on his way to Arkham and then later having Batman riding a motorcycle and still saying he is on his way to Arkham became an unintended joke. I know what Tynion was trying to do here, but it seemed more of a comedy bit of Batman taking multiple forms of transportation and constantly saying he is coming only to arrive late to the scene and unable to prevent Mahoney’s death.
I do worry that having three characters all running around as Batgirl unnecessarily muddies the water. This type of complex redundancy that we continue to see in the DCU may only serve to make DC comics more confusing and impenetrable for new readers.
While I do appreciate Tynion bringing over the Magistrate from the Future State Batman storyline, I do hope that Tynion avoids treating the Future State story as some predestined future. That would completely rob current Batman stories of their excitement and agency. It is fun to play with aspects of the Future State story, but they are better served as being looks at “What if…” stories rather than concrete futures that writers are locked into heading toward as DC moves forward.
Justice League Story
Words: Brian Bendis
Art: David Marquez
Colors: Tamra Bonvillain,
Story Rating: 4 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: Bendis gave David Marquez next to nothing to do in this story. However, Marquez is so talented that he still was able to deliver some beautiful panels. Bendis’ Justice League may end up being a dull and uneventful read. But, with Marquez supplying the artwork you can bet that Justice League is going to be gorgeous to look at.
I particularly enjoy how Marquez draws Superman. It is pure perfection. That is exactly how the Big Red S should look like.
The Bad: The Justice League story was fairly shallow. Bendis gave the reader pretty much nothing of any real substance concerning what his upcoming Justice League title will be about. In true Bendis fashion, the teaser story of a team title consisted of a story only starring two characters of the Justice League. Nothing in this teaser story told the reader what kind of title Bendis will be delivering on the Justice League. Bendis did not introduce the entire team. Bendis did not give the reader the mission statement for his Justice League. Nor did Bendis establish who the big bad would be for the opening story arc. In fact, Bendis did not establish any plot lines at all for his Justice League.
Instead, all we got was Black Adam now acts like a hero instead of a villain. And I found that one reveal uninteresting. Black Adam as a villain? Perfection. Black Adam as a Shazam knock-off? Boring. I’ll pass.
In the end, there was such little actual substance to this teaser story that it failed in its main objective of getting me to want to purchase Bendis’ Justice League.
Wonder Woman Story
Words: Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad
Art: Alitha Martinez and Mark Morales
Colors: Emilo Lopez
Story Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 5 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 5.5 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: The Wonder Woman did very little for me in terms of getting me excited for the future of the Wonder Woman title. Having said that, if DC was just bound and determined to replace Diana as Wonder Woman then Hippolyta is an obvious choice. After all, Hippolyta has assumed the mantle of Wonder Woman before back in the 1990s. Hippolyta was also the Wonder Woman who served with the Justice Society of America. So, if DC feels like they must engage in more predictable remix culture with Wonder Woman then Hippolyta is easily the best choice to replace Diana.
his Wonder Woman teaser story definitely did a good job introducing the reader to the main characters. This story also effectively delivered Wonder Woman’s mission statement and the main plotlines going forward. The reader clearly understands what they can expect from Cloonan and Conrad going forward.
The Bad: Despite my endorsement of Hippolyta, I have little interest in her adventures as Wonder Woman. I also have zero interest in Nubia as the Queen of the Amazons. This entire story smacked of dull remix culture. Cloonan and Conrad did nothing to get me interested in either Hippolyta or Nubia’s storyline going forward. Of course, your mileage may vary with this story.
I was not that impressed with the artwork from Alitha Martinez and Mark Morales. The story looked dull. The characters were stiff and the facial expressions were odd. All in all, it was a pedestrian-looking story.
Wonder Girl Story
Words: Joelle Jones
Art: Joelle Jones
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Story Rating: 3 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 5.5 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: The Wonder Girl story did not deliver much in the way of content at all. However, what it did deliver was Jones’ beautiful artwork. I love the double-page splash shot of Yara heading off to her airplane. Jones always delivers pretty art. This story is no exception. And as a father of two adorable pugs, I absolutely geeked out over the fact that Jones has Yara wearing a “Pugs, not drugs” hoodie. I have to get one.
The Bad: There was zero actual substance to this story. Jones failed to deliver the mission statement for the Wonder Girl title. No real plot lines were hinted at, either. We only met one character: Yara. The reader has no idea why they should bother to give Wonder Girl a try. This story did nothing to sell the new Wonder Girl title or give the reader a taste of things to come on this new title. As a promotional tool, this story was a huge swing and a miss.
Green Lantern: Alan Scott Story
Words: James Tynion, IV
Art: Stephen Byrne
Colors: Stephen Byrne
Story Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: The Alan Scott story delivered several things that I enjoyed. First, Tynion is a talented writer who has a good knowledge of DC continuity and understands how to properly implement it. I liked the cute wink and a nod to Alan’s old 1990s codename Sentinel when Alan said he is being asked to be a sentinel and watch over the totality of this world. I also loved seeing the old JSA brownstone. I also loved seeing the photo of Infinity, Inc. Infinity, Inc was such an excellent comic book from two icons in Roy Thomas and Jerry Ordway back in the 1980s. It is definitely a must-read title. I would love to see DC revisit the Infinity, Inc. franchise at some point in the future.
As a long-time JSA/All-Star Squadron/Infinity, Inc. fan I was so happy to see the real Alan Scott back and with his two children Jade and Obsidian. It just felt right. The New 52 idiotically junked the JSA and Infinity, Inc. The New 52 also got rid of Alan Scott and replaced him with a young gay Alan on an alternate Earth. New 52 also got rid of Obsidian and Jade. I am thrilled that DC has returned the classic Alan Scott as well as his children in Obsidian and Jade. More of the idiocy of the New 52 is washed away. The DCU is the better for it.
Tynion alludes to the fact that Alan will be joining the Justice Incarnate. I love that idea. It is an excellent use of Alan’s character. I am getting more and more interested in a Justice Incarnate title. I am also excited to see what DC has in store for Obsidian and Jade going forward, too.
I hope that DC allows Alan to keep the Green Lantern codename instead of calling him Sentinel. If DC can have a zillion different Batgirls, Robins, Supermen, Wonder Women, and Wonder Girls running around then we can deal with one additional Green Lantern.
Stephen Byrne provided plenty of excellent artwork for this story. I like his clean style of art. Byrne also did an excellent job with the character’s facial expressions. I am not that familiar with Byrne, but I certainly look forward to reading more comics with his artwork.
The Bad: I will admit that I am not thrilled with taking a character with an 80-year history and just suddenly making him gay. Again, if DC felt the need to have more gay characters then I would have simply gone the route of creating a new character. This certainly has not stopped DC in the past five years with all of the new characters they have cranked out. I also was not impressed with the somewhat melodramatic and pandering way that Tynion delivers Alan’s reveal.
But, at the end of the day, it does not matter to me. I still am glad that we get the classic Alan Scott and I am excited to follow Alan’s adventures going forward.
Teen Titans Academy Story
Words: Tim Sheridan
Art: Rafa Sandoval and Jordi Tarragona
Colors: Alejandro Sanchez
Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: The Teen Titans Academy Story was just two pages. It did what it could do in two pages. We have a new school for metahuman teens and these teens are excited to be here. Most of these characters look to just be generic teen superhero characters. Well, except for one.
The big surprise in this story is the surprise introduction of the Red X from the Teen Titans animated series. We see his mask being pulled out of a backpack. In the cartoon, Red X was originally Dick Grayson. There was then a second Red X whose identity remained unknown. The big mystery is going to be who is the Red X that we see in Infinite Frontier #0. Honestly, I would be fine if it just turned out to be an entirely new character.
Either way, it is so cool to see Red X appearing in the DCU. I have always been a massive fan of the Teen Titans animated series. So, I am excited to see what DC has in store for Red X moving forward.
The Bad: I am unsure if there was anyone asking for a title like Teen Titans Academy. I am afraid that this is going to end up being a lame ripoff of Avengers Academy or any one of the myriad of teen X-Men titles that we have gotten like Wolverine and the X-Men or New Mutants.
I would rather have seen DC roll out a new Legion title with the regular Legion from Levitz and later from Geoff Johns placed in the hands of a writer like Joshua Williamson than Teen Titans Academy. But, it is what it is.
Superman Story
Words: Philip Kennedy Johnson
Art: Jamal Igle
Colors: Hi-Fi
Story Rating: 3 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: Jamal Igle is an excellent artist. Igle delivers a fantastic-looking story. I just love his art. This is what mainstream superhero comics should look like. The action scenes are fantastic. The panel layouts are creative and interesting. The art is easily the best part of this story.
The Bad: I have zero interest in anyone as Superman not named Kal-El or Clark Kent. Jonathan Kent operating as Superman holds no appeal for me. And while DC seems obsessed with creating as many characters as possible with identical codenames and power sets, I remain firm in my belief that there should only ever be one Batman and one Superman.
Infinite Frontier was the perfect moment for DC to get rid of Jonathan’s character. I just do not see where an adult Jonathan Kent makes any sense in the main DCU going forward. I prefer Clark and Lois together as a married couple but without kids. Conner Kent is already in place in the DCU and effectively serves the role of Superboy. There is no room or point to having Jonathan in the current DCU as either Superboy or Superman. Jonathan is a holdover of a messy time in DC’s continuity that started with Convergence when DC was trying to pivot from the failure that was the New 52 and trying to bring back aspects of the original DCU. DC should have taken this as an opportunity to clean up some of these messes.
On top of this, the idea that Jonathan is actual a tyrant in the making seems to be an uncreative approach with this character. We have seen this story many times before. Johnson does nothing to get me excited about Jonathan’s character or his journey going forward.
Green Arrow & Black Canary Story
Words: Joshua Williamson
Art: Alex Maleev
Colors: Jordie Bellaire
Story Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: Let’s not waste time getting right to the best part of the Green Arrow and Black Canary story. It is the return of Roy Harper! Hell yeah! DC wastes no time addressing some of the mistakes from Tom King’s horrendous Heroes in Crisis. Roy Harper was unceremoniously killed off in Heroes in Crisis #1. However, Roy’s death was made even worse when it was revealed in Heroes in Crisis #8. So, I cannot put into words my sheer joy in seeing Roy Harper back and better than ever! I hope that DC has a good plan in mind for Roy’s character going forward. I definitely am excited to learn how Roy was resurrected.
Another aspect of the Green Arrow and Black Canary story that is so enjoyable is the fact that Oliver and Dinah have all their memories from the DCU continuity that existed prior to the New 52. Again, one of the New 52’s many sins was wiping away the Green Arrow and Black Canary relationship. This was a huge mistake. Ollie and Dinah are one of DC’s best couples. These two characters are far stronger together than they are apart. I love seeing this failing of the New 52 being wiped away.
Williamson smartly alludes to Mr. Teriffic in this story. We learn that Mr. Terrific is telling our heroes that they will be getting their pre-New 52 memories back as time progresses. This is great to hear as this means the pre-New 52 continuity should be resurfacing across the board with all of the DC characters. Also, I like that Mr. Terrific is playing a pivotal role going forward in dealing with the new Multiverse.
Aside from the big continuity reveals, Williamson also does an excellent job with the character work in this story. Williamson is one of DC’s best writers and he shows off his understanding of Ollie and Dinah’s characters. The dialogue is well done and the chemistry between Ollie and Dinah is impressive. Especially considering that Williamson pulls all this off in just a few panels. It is rare to see such good character work and chemistry being delivered in such a phenomenally concise manner.
Williamson also gets the reader excited for Green Arrow and Black Canary adventures in the future. Sign me up for a Green Arrow and Black Canary monthly title!
The Bad: I have no quibbles with this story.
Stargirl Story
Words: Geoff Johns
Art: Todd Nauck
Colors: Hi-Fi
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: I have never liked Stargirl’s character. So, I was not expecting to enjoy this story at all. Well, color me surprised. I really enjoyed this story! Of course, my interest in this story stems directly from Stripesy and the Seven Soldiers of Victory. I love the original Seven Soldiers of Victory and am interested in any story involving that group of characters.
Again, it is an absolute joy to see characters that were junked by the New 52 back and better than ever. Dc foolishly trashed the Seven Soldiers of Victory and Stripesy with the New 52. DC also got rid of the fact that Pat Dugan was married to Courtney’s mom. It is just so refreshing to see the real DCU firmly back in place and the last vestiges of the New 52 completely washed away. This just feels right.
Johns does an excellent job quickly introducing both Stargirl and Stripsey as well the backstory concerning the Seven Soldiers of Victory in an incredibly concise manner. Johns then immediately installs a major plotline with the Vigilante reaching out to Stripesy and telling him that the Seven Soldiers need him. Johns accomplishes every task that a teaser story needs to accomplish. Johns then ends the story with a great hook ending that gets the reader excited for more.
I love me some Todd Nauck. Nauck delivers plenty of excellent artwork that is the perfect match for a quality mainstream superhero comic. Nauck delivers his usual excellent facial expressions for all of the characters. The dialogue-heavy scenes are just as good as the action-heavy scenes. Nauck’s artwork helps to inject plenty of emotion and excitement into Johns’ script.
The Bad: The biggest weakness of this story is Stargirl herself. I get that Johns loves this character. But, Johns has utterly failed to ever get me interested in Courtney’s character. She has never risen beyond being a fluff character. There is zero chance that Stargirl will ever be able to carry a monthly title by herself. Johns including so many other compelling characters into this story in the form of Stripesy and the Seven Soldiers of Victory show that even Johns does not think his favorite character can shoulder the load on her own.
Green Lanterns Story
Words: Geoffrey Thorne
Art: Dexter Soy
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Story Rating: 3 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 2 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 2.5 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: The most exciting and interesting part of this Green Lanterns story is that Hal, Kyle, Guy, and Jessica are all on a team that is taken with protecting the Crux Worlds. That sounds like an excellent team and an interesting mission. I am all over buying a comic starring that team of Green Lanterns.
The Bad: John Stewart is a great character. Unfortunately, the Green Lanterns story is saddled with two lame characters in Teen Lantern and Baz. This absolutely kills any interest I might have in this story. Thorne did nothing to get me interested in the three Lanterns in this story. I have always liked John Stewart, but his character is bland in this story. Teen Lantern has always been a one-dimensional character saddled with an idiotic code name. Thorne does nothing to change either of those in this story. And Baz? He continues to be what he has been since his first appearance: a boring beige wall. There is just nothing there.
It is unfortunate that DC did not place John on the team with Guy, Hal, and Kyle and take Jessica and place her with Baz and Teen Lantern. That way we could have had the A-list Green Lantern team that I would purchase and a D-list Green Lantern team that I could ignore.
Dexter Soy’s artwork is awful. The art looks muddy and lacks detail. To make things worse, Soy manages to draw a Black American character in John Stewart, a Bolivian character in Teen Lantern, and a Lebanese character in Baz so that they all look identical. An artist should be able to know how to properly convey the differences in physical appearances and coloring between a Lebanese character, a mestizo or indigenous person from Bolivia, and a Black American. They do not all look the same.
The Flash Story
Words: Joshua Williamson
Art: Howard Porter
Colors: Hi-Fi
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: Williamson simply has the Midas touch! Everything Williamson does for DC is pure gold. Once again, Williamson delivers a great teaser story. I am so excited for what DC has in store for both Barry Allen and Wally West. Now, I have always been a Barry Allen fan. And Barry is my default choice for the Flash. But, I adore Wally’s character and he is one of my all-time favorite characters.
Therefore, I am glad that Williamson just knocked it out of the part with how to use both Barry and Wally moving forward. Barry as a member of the Justice Incarnate tasked with exploring and mapping the new Multiverse? Perfection! That is an excellent use of Barry’s character. This direction is also consistent with Barry’s character, too. I also like that this should help give Barry a new direction and a fresh take on his character.
I am equally thrilled that DC is placing Wally back as the Flash on Earth and with the Justice League. Wally absolutely deserves this honor. Especially with how DC treated Wally like a piece of trash during Heroes in Crisis. I am so excited to see what DC has in store for Wally moving forward. Better days are ahead.
I am also happy that the New 52 Wally was nowhere to be found in this story. That is how it should be. New 52 Wally really has no logical place in the current DCU with the entire pre-New 52 DC continuity firmly re-established. There can be only one Wally West running around in the main DCU. And that one Wally West is everyone’s favorite Ginger-American.
As always, Williamson writes fantastic versions of Barry and Wally. Williamson understands both characters and has an excellent feel for the personalities of both characters. The dialogue is excellent and the chemistry between Barry and Wally is obvious. The little shout-out to Jay Garrick was also appreciated. Williamson knows that the Flash family is definitely a true family in every sense of the word.
As always, Howard Porter delivered gobs of attractive artwork. Porter definitely shines when delivering a scarlet speedster running at super speeds.
The Bad: I have no qualms with this story.
Spectre and Wonder Woman Story
Words: Joshua Williamson with James Tynion, IV and Scott Snyder
Art: John Timms
Colors: Alex Sinclair
Story Rating: 4 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: Timms delivers plenty of pretty artwork. The Quintessence look fantastic. Timms definitely nails the grand scope of the Multiverse. Timms’ double-page splash shots are phenomenal.
I am glad that Diana declined to join the Quintessence. Placing her in that passive group of observers would have been an utter waste of Diana’s character.
The Bad: Diana’s new direction fails to impress me. DC has consistently displayed a lack of understanding of how to handle Diana’s character. The other two of DC’s Trinity have never suffered from such a lack of identity. Superman and Batman have always had clear and obvious core characteristics and mission statements. There may have been various different wrinkles here and there, but Batman and Superman’s core mission statements and their roles within the DCU have been unwavering. That has not been the case for Wonder Woman.
Diana has never had a clear and obvious mission statement. Instead, DC has constantly made drastic changes to Diana’s character and her role within the DCU. Now it looks like DC is putting Diana back into the blender once more and giving her another mission statement and another role in the DCU.
And this new role in the DCU of exploring other mythologies? I am completely unsold on this direction. I will keep an open mind and see if DC can win me over. But, I definitely am not particularly excited or impressed with this new direction. It is unfortunate that DC continues to display a lack of confidence and faith in Diana that they do not display with Clark or Bruce.
Wonder Woman’s new costume is a total miss with me. Sorry. Seeing Wonder Woman dressed as a Norse God does nothing for me at all. Again, the other two characters in DC’s Trinity get blessed with unique and consistent costume branding. Batman and Superman might get a few new tweaks here and there, but their costumes have largely stayed the same. And for good reason. Batman and Superman’s costumes are iconic.
Sadly, the same cannot be said for the third member of DC’s Trinity. Once again, Wonder Woman gets saddled with an entirely new design. And a horrendously ugly one at that. DC should afford Wonder Woman the same respect as is afforded to batman and Superman. Wonder Woman should be allowed to keep her iconic look. A red, white, and blue one-piece bathing suit as the base uniform design.
Epilogue
Words: Joshua Williamson
Art: John Romita, Jr. and Klaus Janson
Colors: Brad Anderson
Story Rating: 7 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 6 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 6.5 Night Girls out of 10
The Good: Williamson delivered the teaser for the upcoming Infinite Frontier #1. It appears that Darkseid is going to be the big bad in the upcoming big event story this summer. I am fine with Darkseid as the villain. There is nobody bigger or badder in the DCU. Plus, when it comes to cosmic stories you cannot get much better than Darkseid.
I like the concept of Earth Omega. This is a nice compliment to Elseworld. I definitely am excited to learn more about both Elseworld and Earth Omega as we proceed forward in this new direction for the DCU.
Williamson certainly delivered a shocking moment with Darkseid killing everyone in the Quintessence! I did not see this coming at all. I am sure that all of these characters will get resurrected at some point. But, this certainly provides for a stunning hook ending that should get most readers excited about the upcoming Infinite Frontier big event.
I have been singing Williamson’s praises ever since he took over The Flash title years ago. I immediately believed that Williamson was DC’s best kept secret and that Williamson would eventually take his place right up there with Johns, Morrison, and Snyder as one of the best DC writers. I am thrilled to see DC giving Williamson the spotlight to shine. I have full faith in Williamson to deliver an exciting big event story in Infinite Frontier.
Double Page Shot of the Multiverse
All right, let’s talk about that awesome double-page splash shot of Specter and Wonder Woman walking through various scenes of the DCU. There is so much to unpack here.
Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans
There are several panels that leap off the page at me and immediately grab my attention. First and foremost is the panel with the sweet Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans! That’s right! We see Dick Grayson, Raven, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Cyborg back together! This is as it should be. One of the multitudes of the New 52’s sins was trashing the Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans. Cyborg was removed completely from the franchise and made a founding member of the JLA. Well, once again, DC has restored the proper pre-New 52 continuity and given us our believed Teen Titans once again. I cannot wait to see this team in action! I am absolutely buying any title starring this awesome roster!
Blue and Gold
Another panel that leaps out at me is the panel of Blue and Gold back and better than ever! That’s right. We get the real Blue Beetle in Ted Kord chilling with his boy Booster Gold. I love it. The New 52 totally junked Ted Kord as the Blue Beetle as well as his relationship with Booster Gold. Rebirth brought back aspects of Ted Kord as Blue Beetle. But, now it looks like we are going full-on pre-New 52 continuity with Ted and Booster. This is a beautiful thing. We need a Blue and Gold title. ASAP.
Green Lanterns
The panel with Hal, Guy, Kyle, and Jess furthers what we got in the Green Lanterns teaser story. This looks like an excellent roster. I will definitely buy a comic with this team.
Justice Incarnate
We get a panel with what appears to be the Justice Incarnate. They are sitting at a table with the Totality logo on it. We see Lex Luthor, Mr. Terrific, Martian Manhunter, Hawkwoman, Vandal Savage, and Phantom Girl at the table. A Justice Incarnate title is going to be an excellent read. I am all over this team, this roster, and this concept.
Suicide Squad
We also get a panel with Peacemaker and Amanda Waller. This is referencing the new Suicide Squad title. I love this! I am a massive Charlton Comics fan. I adore all of the Charlton characters. If you have never read any Charlton Comics then you need to rectify that ASAP. Charlton is one of my favorite comic publishers of all time.
So, obviously, I am happy whenever a classic Charlton Comics character is being displayed prominently. Peacemaker has been largely unused by DC Comics. Peacemaker’s biggest claim to fame is being the character that the Comedian is based on. Peacemaker did appear in the final issue of 52 in a single panel that showed Earth-4 that housed all of the Charlton Comics characters. Peacemaker also appeared in Pax Americana in the fourth issue that is set on Earth-4.
So, after decades of being unused, I am thrilled that DC is finally using the Peacemaker in the DCU! And the Suicide Squad is the perfect title for a character like the Peacemaker. I hope that DC allows the Peacemaker to retain a Comedian-style personality. At any rate, this panel has me excited in a Suicide Squad title for the first time ever. I love this!
Justice League Dark
We get a panel showing the Justice League Dark with Zatana, Constantine, Detective Chimp, and the Demon. I have always liked these characters and I have enjoyed Justice League Dark in the past. So, I am glad to see that DC is keeping this roster together in this new direction for the DCU.
Deathstroke
We get a panel of Slade holding his Deathstroke helmet. I love Deathstroke and I would love to see a villainous Deathstroke rampaging his way through the DCU once again.
Aquaman
We get a panel with Aquaman, Mera, and their daughter. We also see Jackson Hyde as Aqualad. We do not see Garth anywhere. This panel does little for me. The Aquaman franchise was driven into the ground by Kelly Sue DeConnick and then getting the title canceled. Despite an incredibly popular movie, it appears that DC has no clue what to do with Aquaman. Therefore, I am keeping any expectations for Aquaman extremely low until DC proves me wrong.
Shazam
Next is a panel of Shazam and the Rock of Eternity. There is not much here in this panel. Having said that, I do hope we get another Shazam title. I love this character.
Supergirl
We get a panel of Supergirl holding a sword. This is a teaser for Tom King’s Supergirl mini-series. This panel did not do much for me, either.
Swamp Thing
There is a panel of Swamp Thing. This is a teaser for the new Swamp Thing title that came out this week.
Midnighter
We also get a panel of Midnighter. There was not much in this panel, either. This is just letting the readers know that the Wildstorm characters still exist in the DCU. Maybe there will be a Midnight mini-series in the future?
Lobo and Crush
We get a panel of Lobo and Crush squaring off against each other. I could not care less about this panel. The only character I dislike more than Lobo is Crush. So, this is a big pass for me.
The Bad: I have no complaints about this story.
Overall: Infinite Frontier #0 is an excellent read. This issue successfully sets the stage for this new direction for the DCU. The reader gets treated to multiple quality teaser stories for the new directions for the various DC franchises. This issue also does an excellent job kicking off the new big event in Infinite Frontier that starts in July of 2021. I am all in on Infinite Frontier and this new direction for the DCU. I would definitely recommend checking out Infinite Frontier #0.
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