The series' new course leads to dangerous waters as yet another writer steps on board only to be chased away by the editors in a month or two!  Atlantis is under attack by gigantic coral creatures that Aquaman seems powerless to stop a la Atlantis Attacks but in reverse!  As unprecedented carnage befalls the undersea realm, Dolphin and Tempest struggle to save their newborn son, but the infant will turn out to be the key behind the mysterious attack and Atlantis' unseen adversary.  It's a baby and a key, how clever.  And the horrific events of this issue will lead Aquaman down a path that will forever change how the rest of the world regards the King of the Seven Seas! 

Things start strange and end up stranger when Kyle finds himself married to Jade and fighting alongside heroes introduced in GREEN LANTERN: THE NEW CORPS! Yeah, that's got to be rough.  "Oh no!  I'm married to a hot, green chick and have to go on exciting adventures!"  Kyle has no idea how he got where he is, but he has no choice but to go with the flow as he leads a hand-picked team on a mission to rescue one of their own and runs into some old aquantences from high school.  He's forced to have one of those "How are you?" conversations where neither one really cares how the other is doing.

The JSA confronts a now-evil Obsidian -- son of the original Green Lantern -- in Part 1 of the 3-part "Darkness Falls" saga! It's the confrontation Sentinel has been dreading for years, as he learns once and for all if his son has finally succumbed to the shadow force that gives him his darkness-based powers.  A very special JSA.

It's the shocking issue readers have been waiting for as the final fate of Linda Park is revealed and her role in Flash history is assured!  That is the truth.

Grant Morrison's ultimate JLA story continues with Part 3 of the 5-part  "World War Three"! As Luthor's new Injustice Gang tear the JLA Watchtower apart, the true power behind the newly erupting global warfare finally shows itself: Mageddon, the war-bringer, the anti-sun, the ultimate agent of doom. Don't miss Batman's epic rematch with Prometheus! See Metropolis transformed into the hive-headquarters for the new Queen Bee!  Feel the stars themselves shudder as the mighty Orion announces that "the blood-red game of gods has begun!" This is what super-hero comics are all about!  Blah blah blah.  It's just a bunch of fights!

S.T.R.I.P.E. is deactivated on the field of battle at Blue Valley High, setting the stage for a real wacky senior prank!  And then...the mysterious Dragon King finally makes his move! Also: this issue features the first glimpse of S.T.R.I.P.E.'s son, the Kid's step-brother -- Mike Dugan!  He's probably going to stare at her midriff.

The extra-length conclusion to the 3-part "Endgame" for "No Man's Land." "Endgame" concludes in the extra-length DETECTIVE COMICS #741 as Batman and his team launch a final, no-holds-barred assault against the Joker! One person makes the ultimate sacrifice to save Gotham's future.  Here's hoping it's one of the crappy Batman characters that needs to die like Azrael or Batgirl.  Will it send Batman over the edge? (This asault is also reflected in
AZRAEL: AGENT OF THE BAT #61, guest-starring Batgirl!).

An issue pairing Azrael and Batgirl against the Joker in the streets of Gotham City as "No Man's Land" nears its startling conclusion! Having them both in the same comic makes it VERY easy to kill them both off!  Reflecting the events of DETECTIVE COMICS #741, Christmas in No Man's Land finds the Joker taking instead of giving, and, uh, not a creature was sturring or something.  When Batman learns that the Joker has kidnapped babies from all over Gotham in an effort to "murder hope," it falls to Azrael and Batgirl to save them. But will even their best be enough when the confrontation between good and evil reaches a shattering crescendo?  Probably.

Batgirl guest-stars as Tim Drake's dad tries to retrieve his son from "No Man's Land!" and, hopefully, tries to kill Batgirl.  Robin's dad is determined to get his "poor lost son" out of No Man's Land by any means neccessary, even if it means plastering Tim's face on every billboard and TV screen in America, which seems like a logical course of action! Will he succeed in "saving the children," or will Robin die first -- from embarrassment? I think Robin's probably going to die.  Can Batgirl extricate Tim from this mess?  Will she die of embarrassment?

Hey, it's one more issue until a special anniversary issue!  Isn't it time to reboot the issue number back to #1?   Oh, wait, this is DC, not Marvel.  Anyway, this is part 2 of the 3-part "Endgame" for "No Man's Land."  Christmas Eve in No Man's Land finds the Joker and Harley running wild and the weather outside is frightful! Since they've no place to go, their master plan to destroy Gotham City's future is revealed, only the Huntress stands a chance of stopping the Clown Couple of Crime (hee hee). Unfortunately, she'll have to fight her way through all of the Joker's forces to get to them.  Shocker, huh?

Final issue. What?  No exclaimation point?  Isn't this a major thing!?  The aftermath of "No Man's Land" sets the stage for the future of Gotham City and the new non-gothic Gotham.. As our heroes pay their final respects to their fallen comrade (please be Azrael or Batgirl or both!), the city's mysterious benefactor, who was already revealed to be Luthor, goes over the line to take total control of Gotham City.

Deadman visits the streets of "No Man's Land" as Catwoman faces Mercy for what may be their final battle! Enough with the final battles!  Can't anyone have a normal battle at the end of NML?!  Mercy may have stepped on the kitty's tail in CATWOMAN #74, but the Feline Fatale is going to go her one better in a battle royale! Also, enough with the cat references!  We get it!  She's CATwoman!  And if that weren't all, the secret of Mookie, Catty's less-than-brilliant pal is revealed, and Deadman Boston Brand makes a surprising guest-appearance. Note: Look for the debut of an exciting new writer-artist team next issue!  Knowing that the current creative team is on their way out should really make you want to buy this issue!

Fighting for their lives in the Armagetto of Apokolips, Black Canary and Catwoman have one chance to get home, but Lashina of the Female Furies stands in their way. Don't worry about the fact that while Catwoman's in Apokolips she's also having some "final battle" in NML.  Meanwhile, the stranded super-villains and armored  marshals fight for their lives against a batallion of Parademons!  Could this be...a final battle!?

It's the return of the All-Star Squadron's Tarantula (sort of)! When two aged villains who, in the '40's, battled the costumed mystery man Tarantula come looking to settle a score with Jonathan Law, it's up to Nightwing to defend the former hero, who just happens to be his friend and neighbor.  Wait, Dick's back in Bludhaven?  Where's Barbara?  Aren't they going to kiss some more!?

The 13-issue maxiseries reuniting the Eisner Award-winning SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS team of writer Jeph Loeb and artist Tim Sale continues which is kind of implied by the number 3 on the cover! What do you want for Christmas? Money!  If you're living in Gotham City you'll only get one choice if the Scarecrow has his way: a nasty little toy called "The Fear Doll." It's not as good as money, though.  New nightmares are unleashed on Batman as he faces one of his most dangerous foes all the while the mysterious serial killer who may or may not be Holiday continues unchecked!  More vagueness!

A disguised Tim Hunter brews a very special batch of ale at the Inn Between Worlds.  How special can ale get?  Booze is booze.  Also, the Wild Hunt continues to stalk new prey, which is exactly what I'd expect of something called the "Wild Hunt."  Meanwhile, a very
familiar-looking demon approaches Tim's stepbrother Cyril with a deal he can't resist - a new, less gay name, in exchange for his ETERNAL SOUL.

Writer/artist Ted McKeever's stylish, haunting adaptation of George Michaels' popular song of the same name continues. The sides have beenestablished and the lines drawn as Heaven's legions storm the realm of Murr, in an attempt to catch Michaels in an awkward position in a mens bathroom at a roadside rest stop.  A battle of epic proportions ensues, giving a whole new meaning to the term "Holy War" (I love tales that provide cool, new definitions for the 90's).   Meanwhile, Satan and his army of darkness prepare to reap the spoils of the fallen, but that's a given.

The visionary 2-color (isn't that just another way of saying "black & white?") miniseries from writer/artist Paul Pope (THB, THE BATMAN CHRONICLES) concludes. At 300 miles per hour on a bullet train from Paris to St. Petersburg, the loose ends come together. Cross offers "S" a deal he can't refuse -- a lifetime of controlled addiction to HEAVY LIQUID if he gives up the secret information. Huh, so the main character is actually adicted to the very comic book he stars in?  Interesting... Will "S" sell out his best friend before the liquid takes on its final effect?  And what do the other MIB have to say about this?

This is just WAY too much to comment on.  It's a Neil Gaiman collection.  Just buy it.  It'll be good.

A collection of nearly all of Neil Gaiman's previously non-reprinted VERTIGO work, including SANDMAN MIDNIGHT THEATRE and a previously unpublished Swamp Thing story (newly illustrated by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben). Nearly all of writer Neil Gaiman's previously unreprinted VERTIGO stories -- including the only unavailable Morpheus story, 1995's SANDMAN MIDNIGHT THEATRE -- as well as a previously unreleased 10-page Gaiman Swamp Thing tale newly illustrated by Stephen Bissette and John Totleben, are collected in NEIL GAIMAN'S MIDNIGHT DAYS, an enthralling VERTIGO trade paperback. Among the often-requested stories in MIDNIGHT DAYS is the haunting John Constantine story "Hold Me" (from HELLBLAZER #27), illustrated by Gaiman's THE SANDMAN collaborator Dave McKean (who also provides a new cover for the collection). In addition, the Golden Age Sandman's surprising encounter with an imprisoned Morpheus in SANDMAN MIDNIGHT THEATRE (co-written by Gaiman and Matt Wagner, with painted art by Teddy Kristiansen) comes back to print as part of the MIDNIGHT DAYS collection, as does the Gaiman-scripted return of Brother Power, the Geek (illustrated by Richard Piers Rayner, Mike Hoffman and Kim DeMulder) and the offbeat "Shaggy God Stories," illustrated by Mike Mignola (both from SWAMP THING ANNUAL #5). Rounding out NEIL GAIMAN'S MIDNIGHT DAYS are a new introduction and commentary by Gaiman and Gaiman's 1986 DC Comics "audition" piece -- a story of a 16th-century Plant Elemental, newly illustrated by the classic SWAMP THING art team of Stephen Bissette and John Totleben.

The exploits of a professional poker player suddenly thrown into a high-stakes game of mythical proportions continue as ace poker player Joey Martin starts to see right through the scare tactics of Bill, the Angel of the Lord, who gets stuck explaining to his boss why he hasn't yet procured Joey's small fortune of human souls. Damn, what a run-on sentence.  Do we really need/want another series about a gambler? While the sexy Hell Mary takes a crack at Joey using her feminine wiles (i.e. breasts, legs, vagina,etc.), Bill ups the ante to mass destruction, setting the stage for a whole new set of headaches for everyone's favorite proposition player.

"I'll see your mass destruction and raise you a global catastrophe"
"Damn, I fold."

John Constantine, Animal Man, Swamp Thing, Black Orchid, and the Doom Patrol's Robotman team up in an offbeat one-shot. It's "offbeat" meaning unusual meaning there probably won't be any deviant sexual acts described in this one.

Do you like cuss words?  Lots of them!?  What about the thought of eating babies in powdered form?  If you enjoy that and the possibilities of sexual inuendo and partial nudity, then the conclusion of the 3-part "Lonely City" is for you!  Has Spider Jerusalem finally dug too deep for the truth like he usually does? With a district in flames, people shooting at him and a newspaper in chaos, Spider has discovered that everything he's been investigating has been orchestrated by the one person he can't get. What happens when Spider Jerusalem finally loses? 

Part 2 of the 3-part "Trinket." The Cluracan's nemesis arrives in New York's Central Park to defend Nuala from an unsavory pack of fairies sent by the King of the Unseelie Court to steal her magical pendant. Unaware of the danger, a disenchanted Nuala prepares to reclaim her lost femme fatale allure at a Manhattan rave. If you have any idea what the hell's going on in this preview, you have problems.

Three tales of holiday horror to read by the fireside, wrapped in a painted cover by the frequently unemployed and underworked Alex Ross (KINGDOM COME, UNCLE SAM). A car crash survivor discovers that the accident is only the beginning of his troubles in "The Harvester" as his HMO considers his reconstructive surgery optional;  a mother desperately searching for her lost son in a shopping mall hears an eerily familiar story of Christmas tragedy in "Mostly White" - okay, I'll admit, this story sounds like it'll really freak me out; and, a man forced to babysit a corpse is left with only his increasingly paranoid thoughts to keep him company in "Sitter," something anyone who's ever babysat a corpse is familiar with.

Concluding the 2-part "Ashes and Honey" guest-written by Darko Macan (Grendel Tales: Devils & Deaths, GANGLAND) with art by Gary Erskine and Andy Lanning. For John Constantine, magic is about power, about ego, about winning. But Kemal, the elder patriarch of a large immigrant Bosnian family, magic is about survival, tradition and sacrifice. When Kemal makes the ultimate sacrifice, giving his life for the sake of his fledgling magician grandson Samir, it is merely the first step in Samir's -- and Constantine's -- education.

A gambler, who didn't know when to hold or to fold 'em, gets his shot at revenge in the conclusion of the 2-part "Short Con, Long Odds." Closing in on his target, gambler Chucky Spinks finds himself in the riskiest game of his life: RISK!   All the players in this game think they hold the key to victory, but it's Agent Graves who's got control of the Canada.  Whoever controls Canada, controls the world!

Showdowns abound in "Dot the I's and Cross the T's," as Jesse at last meets up with his old friend Cassidy, Starr mounts his offensive against Eisenstein, and Arseface fends off an increasingly hostile public in the latest issue of the title that won this year's Eisner Award for Best Continuing Series.

In stores December 15. A one-shot revealing the early days in the romance of Jesse and Tulip, which is I guess where that derogatory title comes from. There was a time before Jesse Custer ever encountered the force known as Genesis, before Spock was reverted back to a teenager, when he was a young man, stubborn and reckless and madly in love with his pistol-packin' sweetheart, Tulip O'Hare.  Theirs was a wild love, and their adventures even wilder, as seen in PREACHER: TALL IN THE SADDLE, a VERTIGO Prestige one-shot (suggested for mature readers because of all the wild love and even wilder adventures). Written and pencilled by PREACHER co-creators Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon (with inks by HITMAN's John McCrea and a painted cover by Glenn Fabry), TALL IN THE SADDLE finds Jesse and Tulip tasting the outlaw life and getting into some deep trouble, so to speak. When our heroes lose a trailer-load of stolen cars in a high-speed chase, their none-too-happy employer offers them a chance to make amends: drive a shipment of stolen horses to a slaughterhouse. I'm sure it all makes perfect sense when you read it.  Jesse's refusal sets the stage for a high noon showdown -- one that pits them against ruthless horse thieves, vicious arms dealers, Pikachu, and a criminal enterprise more heinous than they ever could have imagined.

Crop circles and cattle mutilations, killer viruses and extraterrestrial invaders converge as the unforgettable and typical VERTIGO miniseries concludes. A reporter investigating a series of cattle mutilations discovers an extraterrestrial conspiracy that cuts even deeper in "Native Tongue" - get it? CUTS! HA!;  a vicious Lothario with a outlandish modus operandi makes a move on Balkey in "Perfect Stranger" ; and a gaggle of suburban kids prove to be a serial killer's worst nightmare in "Latch Key" a la Home Alone.

The spellbinding miniseries from Jeph Loeb (BATMAN: DARK VICTORY, SUPERMAN), Chris Bachalo (DEATH: THE HIGH COST OF LIVING) and Art Thibert (SUPERMAN/FANTASTIC FOUR)  continues. After this one comes out, be prepared to hear everyone complain about what a horrible graphic storyteller Bachalo is.  Bachalo doesn't realize that you're not supposed to be different!  You have to draw comics the same way everyone else does!  And if even one moron out there is confused by your style, something's wrong!  As far as this issue goes...uh...it'll cost you $6.00 to read about some witch chick.

Kurt Busiek has done it again!  Continuing his time-tested tradition of digging up forgotten villains and makin' 'em cool again, in this issue we find - the Exemplars!  Um...what?  The "Exemplars" are new?  Last couple of months??  "Eighth Day"???  What the HELL?  Well then, the Juggernaut's around, and someone will quit the team.  Okay.  Heh...ha...BWAHAHAHA!!!  I just got it *right* now!!!  Juggernaut's name is "Cain Marko," right???  And he's, like, Professor X's evil brother or something...Cain and Abel, get it?  Heh...so damn clever...I gotta steal that some day.

Well, I certianly have no idea what the hell this comic is about.  I guess it has something to do with the Avengers and the Fantastic Four.  And domination.  Kinky.  That sure is some toked-out numbering, though.  And if this is the conclusion, why is it #4.8 and not #4.9?  I mean, if I <i>was</i> reading it, (which I'm not), I'd be pretty damn confused.  I'd be walking around the comic store saying, "Hey, where's Avengers: Domination Factor #4.9?" and the guy would be like, "Dude, it stopped at #4.8!" and I'd be like, "Why?" and it would be all embarrassing and stuff.  Yeah.

The comic inspired by the moderate success of the movie with the same name, rides on!  Is Blade (who now looks like Wesley Snipes!  Cool!) a member of the secret sect known as "Silvereye"?  Does anyone care?  Better yet, will any other characters from the early 1990's "Midnights Sons" line show up?  Man, there was a point where Marvel would give *anyone* a comic.  Seriously.  Ben and I had a back-up in DEATH'S HEAD II for six months.  It's more sad than funny, really.  Well, okay, the cross-over with GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY was cool.  But that's it.

Okay, I could make a joke about how this would likely by cancelled soon, but I did a similar joke up there about BLADE and even I have standards.  Anyway, this issue has Hulk and Rick Jones, and it's written by Peter David, so I suggest you check it out, even if you don't give a #$%@ about Captain Marvel.  And in the long-run, who does? 

Um...Rob Liefeld sucks!

That magnificent bastard, Loki, is once again starting up shiznit.  For some reason, as a result of this, Deadpool (who is STILL not Wade Wilson and STILL no one cares) is gonna fight Thor, and you can bet it'll be wacky!  If we're *really* lucky, maybe DP will lift Thor's hammer or something similarly wacky.  Yeah!  Whoo-hoo!!  PIIIIIKAAAAAACHUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!

Wow.  #11, already?  And I *still* haven't even took an issue off of the shelf yet.  I think that's a record.  Anyway, this is like KINGDOM COME, except not as good, not with interior art by Alex Ross, and much, much longer.  If that's not a SCREAMING advertisement for the book, I don't know what is.  Judge Reinhold would probably read it.  What the hell kinda name is Judge anyway?

Nope, I still have no idea what this is about.  JOHN BYRNE IS STOOPID!

Generation X, who are also written by this dude, meet up with the New Warriors - sure to take home the Eisner award for "Crappiest Costumes Ever"!  Plus, new "fiend" Biohazard is cauing trouble!  Well, wow!  The New Warriors are BACK, baby, except unrecognizeable and Justice and Firestar, aka the "interesting" ones, are in Avengers!  Except for that, everything's the same!!

Where is Abe Jenkins?  I don't know, but armored BEETLE has attacked (Justin) Hammer's crime orginization!  Is Hammer 2 Legit?  2 Legit to Quit?  Has MACH-1 reverted to his old ways?  Please Jenkins, don't hurt 'em!  U can't touch this!
 
 

In lieu of the standard preview material here, we have a written plea from AVENGERS UNITED writer Ty "the guy" Templeton:

"Hey, guys.  I'm really worried that no one is reading this.  PLEASE read it, okay???  I know that the cartoon sucks...you know it sucks, I know it sucks, my dog knows it sucks, or at least he told me in a dream last night.  Even those "Bullpen Bulletins" strips were making fun of it.  But this comic really doesn't suck.  Honest!  It could have, seriously.  But it doesn't!  I swear! I tell you what, I'll buy every comic fan a free issue - I'll be spending hundreds of thousands of dollars, mind you - and if you don't like it, you can tie me to a tree and beat me with a cane.  Trust me, I'll live up to that promise.  Just give it a chance, please?  My wife says that if this book isn't successful she's going to leave me for Ben Raab.  Please, buy the comic.  You can even pretend that Ant-Man isn't wearing that god-awful costume.  Whatever you'd like.  Just buy it!!!"

SHOCK OF THE WEEK - I will NOT make the sure-to-be hilarious "Hey, Black Panther still isn't cancelled" joke!  However, I WILL make an "Evertt K. Ross looks like Michael J. Fox" joke!  Hmmm...Evertt K. Ross...Michael J. Fox... Alex P. Keaton...anyway, the Hulk, fresh from his knock-down, drag-out DEFEAT at the hands of 1980's Teen Idol Scott Baio, is around in this issue.  Can T'Challa stop him from laying the smack down on Ross?  I'd bet so, yes.

Mark Waid has shown us the future of the DC Universe, spun incredible Flash stories, and given us some of the best CAPTAIN AMERICA of the 1990's.  Dan Jurgens has killed Superman AND turned him Red AND Blue!  Whoo-hoo!!  In this issue, Steve Rogers is in big trouble, but not as much as Falcon - who is apparently back together with Cap, for some reason - who's strapped to a missile poised to release deadly Anthrax across the world!  I can find two things wrong with this.  First, why does it always have to be the brother strapped to the missiles containing deadly toxins?  Secondly, Anthrax isn't deadly, they ROCK~!  Almost as much as Slayer!!!

Let's examine the facts: Daredevil #9 came out in the month of November.  If we see this in December, we might as well see the Messiah in December 1999.

Like I'm gonna bother.

The fall-out of HEROES REBORN: DOOMSDAY!  More importantly, Valeria Von Doom will reveal where her allegiances lie!!  Wait...Valeria Von Doom???  Now *that* is funny.  I guess she's a super-villain/super-model.  That's just rich.  Valeria.  Can't you imagine Dr. Doom in the hospital, looking through his iron mask, saying, "We shall call this sweet blessing...Valeria!"  Oh, man...moving on.

Doc Samson!  She-Hulk!  S.H.I.E.L.D.!  Tyrannus!  Jenkins is coming next month!  So, you can assume that nothing of import will happen in this fill-in between Byrne and Jenkins.  But read it anyway, because...um...well, the She-Hulk is HOT!!!!!

Apparently, www.anotheruniverse.com has no idea what's going on this issue, so how can I possbily be held as responsible for it?  (I'm just happy I got through an Iron Man preview without using the term "Shellhead")

Alright, I'm just going to copy/paste the "official" preview.

"Loki wreaks havoc on Thor's life on Earth! The Thunder God and Odin attempt to unravel the mystery behind the true identity of Enrakt! Plus: Another threat looms in Asgard, uniting one of Thor's most powerful enemies with the ultimate scourge of the cosmos!"

Jesus, that's like the most generic preview EVER.  That could be any issue of THOR.  Kinda like the episode of Quincy with the dead body. [2]

Bastion is back!  And he has new body parts, or something!  Ah...who cares.

Quantum and Woody deal with the end of their partnership as each adopts a new role: Quantum, setting out to stop Toyo Harada's evil plan (whatever that is!), and Woody, who's decided to sue Marble Comix over a comic book they've published based on Q&W.  Is this "Marble" Comix supposed to be a dig at a particular publisher?  Perhaps one that is providing Priest with a steady paycheck?
 
 

BATTLE!! Fight! Fight! Fight! Stereotypical Comic Book! If you're looking to pay $3.00 for an Issue of All-Out, Two-Fisted, Sword-Wielding ACTION with absolutely no character development or story progression, then this is it! It's a Knock-Down,  Drag-Out, No Mercy Throw Down as our Heroes go up against Malesur's  formidable and deadly Bounty Hunters! If you've been waiting for this Match up, then Don't miss this issue!  If you actually want to read a STORY, buy another comic.

Absolutely nothing happens.