ND 02-2024

AQUAMAN #40
Plot by EXCITER
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by JIM LEE
“WORLD OF WARLORD” part one “DUNGEON CRAWL”
Welcome to Skartaris, the inner world! A world of sword and sorcery where anything is possible! A world discovered by U.S. Air Force pilot Travis Morgan, who, upon crashing his jet, went from slave… to gladiator… to Warlord!
Arion once knew this world intimately. Millennia ago, soon after the Great Cataclysm, he personally led Atlantean colonists here - bringing the realm its first human settlers (see CLAW THE UNCONQUERED #3-4). Now he’s back, stripped of most of his power and banished to this land along with Aquaman, Crablad, and Kent Nelson (formerly Dr. Fate). Unfortunately, very little is familiar. Arion was certain, however, that the city he established so long ago - the great Shamballah - would still be standing. They just have to get there…
Thus, they enter Bal Shazar, a sprawling and busy seaport. There our heroes encounter a beautiful but dangerous-looking woman: Shakira, who purports to be recruiting adventurers to complete a perilous quest on behalf of the Warlord. The quest seems suited to their talents, and how else will they earn gold enough to pay for transportation to Shamballah?
The Citadel of Timgad - once a great bastion of strength, is now overrun by hobgoblins that serve the dark wizard Deimos. The party must enter the Citadel, clear out the hobgoblins, defeat Deimos’ lieutenant Grimvald, and claim a magical amulet in his possession. Can Aquaman, who has replaced his severed hand with a common hook, lead his party to victory… or will their campaign end here?
Profile: Arthur “Aquaman” Curry
Atlantean Paladin
Specialization: Retribution
Strength: 15
Agility: 10
Stamina: 13
Intelligence: 10
Equipment: [Trident of Poseidon]; [Fang of Cestus]; [Orange Mail Chest-piece]; [Common Hook]
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
CAPTAIN MARVELOUS #8
Plot by NX01A
Written by JAMES TYNION IV
Art by J.H. WILLIAMS III
'SHAMWOW!'
•EXO the WONDER DOG's ultrasonic howl alerts CAPTAIN MARVELOUS that the Class X-K9 good boy can't stop the unstable BIZUR-EN-ARRH. While Billy helps the anti-crime canine, someone is knocking on his newly reinforced front door.
•Teenager WILLIAM WATSON has a loving family, good friends, straight A's, an unhealthy obsession with Captain Marvelous, and Billy's home address.
•William doesn't know the old, dark-skinned man who answers the door but William pushes past him into the house and life they promised will be his. The old man smiles, uttering a single word: Shazam! Now standing face to face with CAPTAIN THUNDER, William says his own word: Shamwow! Channeling the wrath of gods Suula, Holocaust, Auteur.io, M'nagalah, the Whisperer, Ouranos, and the Weaver, William transforms into SHAMAZO! Pity Billy just got the house repaired after the TECHNO-ZOMBIE invasion.
•And how does a recent discovery by archaeology Professor CYRIL 'SPEED' SAUNDERS and his graduate research assistant (and great-granddaughter) KENDRA 'HAWKGIRL' SAUNDERS tie into all this?
Super-Police Dossier
SHAMAZO
Name: William Watson
Affiliation: ?
Powers: •Flight
•Invulnerability
•Superhuman Strength, Wisdom, Healing, Speed, Reflexes
•Magic Resistance
•Magic Detection
•Self Sustenance
•Positive Lightning Bolts
Intelligence: •••••
Strength: •••••••
Speed: •••••
Durability: ••••••
Energy Projection: ••••
Fighting Skills: ••••
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
THE FLASH #55
Plot by EXCITER
Written by ROBERT KIRKMAN
Art by FRANK CHO
“FLASH FAMILY TIES”
It was nearly a year ago that Barry Allen was possessed by the Black Racer (back in THE FLASH #45!). Now, at last, the race against death is finally over. The Black Racer is gone, as is the “Reverse Flash” Eobard Thawne. With his greatest foes finally defeated, a liberated Barry Allen arrives back home in Central City with his friends and family - including his father, Henry Allen; his protege, Wally West; and his fiancée, Iris West.
Fiancée… that doesn’t seem right anymore. Not after she went into space and helped fight a literal god to save him. Guy Gardner is Captain of the G.L.C.S. Interceptor, the ship that brought them all back to Earth, and as Captain he can perform marriages! Like a speedster, life goes too fast. Barry won’t wait any longer. The Flash is getting married in this very issue!
Even the so-called “Deicide Squad” (Captain Cold, Scandal Savage, Killer Frost, Cheetah, the Turtle, Magog, Peacemaker, and Captain Atom), despite their former troubles, are seemingly happy and eager for a fresh start. But when one of them is found dead, the night takes a dark turn. Who killed Cheetah?? And will the fallout force the Flash to run from the altar?
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
GREEN LANTERN #55
Plot by EXCITER
Written by MARK MILLAR
Art by JOE MADUREIRA
“LIFE AFTER DEATH”
The Black Racer is defeated, and things can finally return to normal for the universe… whatever “normal” is!
As John Stewart is fully returned to life by Death of the Endless, his old Green Lantern Power Ring leaves a gracious Wally West’s finger and returns to its rightful bearer. At the same time, Death requests the return of her Black Lantern Power Ring: she’ll keep it safe until her Corps is needed again. But hey, John’s been really cool during this whole thing so she’s got a departing gift for him…
The spirits of Xanshi, including the ghost of their late ruler Yrra Vag'Iir, appear. Xanshi was first destroyed in the “Fire From Heaven” event; Stewart blames himself for not urging the United Planets to preemptively attack Pyra and maybe stop her path of destruction. The husk of Xanshi were used as the host planet of the Black Racer, who infested it with carrion-eating Bugs led by the now deceased Mantis. After their world suffered tragedy upon tragedy, will the spirits offer forgiveness? Or will they demand penance?
Meanwhile, inspired by his friend Barry Allen’s wedding proposal, Hal Jordan decides to reach out to his old flame Carol Ferris. After all they’ve been through, can this Lantern rekindle the romance?
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
JLβ #13
Plot by NX01A
Written by WARREN ELLIS
Art by JEFF SPOKES
'JLα' Part 2 'SUNS & LOVERS'
•HERO CRUZ, newb superhero, is beyond thankful that the JLα are fighting to save him from THE Prejudice League.
•As the Last Daughter of Krypton, Lara Lor-Van, fights the alternate reality son she never had, SUPERWOMAN can't help but wonder what her life would have been like if JOR-EL hadn't sacrificed himself to delay ZOD, giving her experimental teleporter time to beam her from their doomed planet to Earth. If SUPERBOY CRIME is that possibility, she's glad to be the only living Kryptonian in this reality.
•Martha Wayne has her own visions of absent sons as she faces the swarm of winged tweens alongside Cassandra Cain. She remembers her son and husband lying dead in Wayne Manor after they discovered an ancient stairway to a cave below where a more ancient evil slept. WOMAN-BAT is a spawn of that evil, and her kidnapped and mutated BAT-BOYS serve her criminal ends. BATWOMAN is merciful to the youngsters, letting HUSH dampen their mutations while the pair knock them out. It's more mercy than she and her family received.
•As for the vampire herself, Woman-Bat faces Mary and John Grayson. A lifetime ago before she was turned, Roberta Langstrom's petty extortion schemes led to the high wire death of their son, a fate intended for them. Now drawing on the powers of the Starheart and the Shadowlands respectively, FLAMEBIRD and NIGHTWING intend to finally bring their son's killer to justice.
•Hero won’t let the the JLα, the greatest heroes of his time, fight alone. Luckily, his newest form, SUPER-POLICEMAN, comes with a trusty anti-crime canine, EXO the WONDER DOG! But why does Hero also remember a world with a JLβ and another Exo?
JLα Profile
HERO CRUZ
Powers: •Hero Dial bestows seemingly random superpowers on Cruz for one hour when he dials the letters H-E-R-O into its circular dial pad.
•Psionic Resistance: Anti-telepathic defenses.
Intelligence: •••[••• H-Dial]
Strength: ••[•••• H-Dial]
Speed: ••[••••• H-Dial, Teleportation]
Durability: ••[•••• H-Dial]
Energy Projection: •[••••• H-Dial]
Fighting Skills: •••[••• H-Dial]
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
THE NEW GEN-ACTIVES #2
Written by Chrissy Williams
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Lauren Knight
The Terror of Technis!
When a meteor impacts in the lake by the Gaunt Institute, of course the New Gen-Actives are too curious to resist.
Only, there’s a lot more in the crater than meteoritic iron!
A terrifying, shifting mass of living machinery emerges.
Slaphammer, fancying herself the leader, springs into action, drawing the rest of the team into the action.
Hot Spot is eager to prove himself; Argent, intent on protecting her classmates; Wildebeest simply doesn’t want to be left out.
Only Lexicon holds back — and not just because her powers are useless in combat.
Studying the creatures body language, she realizes something — it’s not attacking, only defending itself!
Listening to her pleas, the group begrudgingly ceases their attack so that Lexicon can communicate. With the creature.
She learns that it is M%dren, the “daughter” of a greater being called Kilg%re, a primarch of the technosapien people called the Technis.
When she refused to fight her mother, Modren was branded a Genetic Defect. She escaped to Earth to hide from Kilg%re, who hunts her still!
Feeling a kinship with the alien, and guilty for attacking, they bring their new friend back with them to the Institute!
Professor G is displeased to hear his new students are acting like superheroes, charging after aliens like it’s their job to defend others.
But the class manages to convince him to let Modren stay.
The family just got a little bit bigger!
And every day, Kilg%re gets a little closer to Earth…
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
Sensation Comics #37
Story: Jodi Picoult
Art: Veronica Fish
Plot: CaptCleghorn
“Doctor Psycho’s Valentine”
It hasn’t been a good day at the Psycho residence. It’s mid-February and there is a lot of ice in Dr. Psycho’s driveway which needs to be chopped and taken off before the forecast snowstorm hit in the next couple of days. Unfortunately, he spent the last few weeks working on evil devices and neglected to pick up the shovel and ice chopper he had somewhere on a list in his phone. Damn that telepathic brainwave interference. Anyway, it’s off to Wally World (we all know where he’s really going but Next Dawn did not receive compensation for product placement) to pick up the necessary tools.
Waiting to talk to Zack, the millennial bleached blond associate in order to find where the tools are, she waits for Zack to finish chatting flirtatiously with Zoey and he finally gets the right aisle, heading there as quickly as his little legs will take him and boom. Another millennial associate tells the doctor “we just sold the last one, dude.” Obviously, vengeance is called for, but what would be truly fitting?
Finding out Zach managed to get Zoey to go out with him on Valentines Day no less, Psycho plans his revenge at some place called Olive Garden (wait we can say Olive Garden, but not Wal****? )
Since this is Wonder Woman’s book (the one with the black hair, OK!), she’s in this too, spending most Valentines Days dealing with an out-of-control Eros who, understandably, is very busy on Valentines day making the call on so many romantic possibilities.
Eros wants Zach and Zoey to get together, Psycho want to make them miserable, and Diana just wants to go home and run a bubbly hot bath.
32 pages, $2.99
TARZAN: LORD OF THE JUNGLE #4
(ADVENTURE COMICS #5)
Story from lost notes, recently uncovered, by EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS, set in his classic TARZAN continuity!
Adapted by EXCITER
Art by DAN MORA
“TARZAN AND THE BEAST MEN OF THE REICH”
Gustav Reinhard was there, a young infantryman fighting the English in Africa, when the so-called Lord of the Jungle decimated his unit. Tarzan even unleashed a ravenous man-eating lion in the trenches (see Tarzan the Untamed (1918)). The claws of that beast took Reinhard’s eye.
After returning home to a defeated Germany, Reinhard quickly distinguished himself by working covertly to rearm his nation in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. One of his secret efforts centered on making superior soldiers… and that’s when he discovered the work of Dr. Buck Davenport (remember him from TARZAN: LORD OF THE JUNGLE #1?). Davenport believed that Tarzan was mutated when, as a baby, he was nursed by a rare mangani ape. Reinhard killed Davenport and stole his work, including several children he had already mutated. For years, he exposed these children to hardship and pitted them against animals with the intent of making them stronger. By 1937, Reinhard had four fighting-age Übermenschen - Tod, Krieg, Seuche, and Hungersnot - all with the abilities of Tarzan but with minds molded by the Führer!
Now, after 19 years, Reinhard returns to Africa with one primary objective: revenge! Can Tarzan survive a blitzkrieg of enemies literally bred to kill him? Can he keep Jane and his Waziri tribe safe? Will nurture or nature prevail?
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
UNCANNY G-MEN #35
Written by Kieron Gillen
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Caspar Wijngaard
“From the Ashes”
The Gen-Actives of Earth have never been more hated… and so the G-Men have never been more necessary!
But… who are the G-Men, now?
Pyra is dead. Basilisk has retired. Professor G has returned to teaching. Rainmaker is… occupied.
The cryokinetic WINTER WONDERLAD.
The untouchable RUNAWAY.
The stalwart FULL COPPER MAN.
The magnetic LODESTONE.
The tortured powerhouse UNITY.
The bestial PANTHA, their unlikely leader.
Is this a team capable of defending the world?
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
UNCANNY G-MEN: THE ELOI SAGA #1
(LGY: UNCANNY G-MEN #36)
Written by Kieron Gillen
Plot by H-E-D
Art by Luciano Vecchio
“The Problem of Unoka”
Long ago, the living Gen-Active island known as Nouka was split in two — Kauno and Akonu. Akonu was lost to the clutches of the Eret-Ha. Kuano slept.
But during the chaos of FIRE FROM HEAVEN, Damocles reclaimed Akonu – and his lost family – and returned them to Earth.
The twin islands merge, becoming something new. Not a return to Nouka. They are Unoka now.
Damocles has been defeated… but what’s to be done with an island of Gen-Actives?
The people of Unoka call themselves the ELOI, and their leader is OTAVA, (estranged) wife of Damocles.
Many want to destroy them… but RAINMAKER of the G-Men refuses to let such a noble people be annihilated.
But Otava knows only war. And so Rainmaker makes a play.
A challenge for leadership of the Eloi — a fight to the death, in all likelihood.
Rainmaker had sworn never to kill… but to save the lives of thousands, she will break that vow!
32 PGs./Rated T+ …$2.99
BAT-WING #55
Writer: Malcolm Jones
Artist: Dexter Soy
Plotter: Marvell2100
HERO OF THE DAY: PART 2
Kia has just rescued a badly hurt Rick Flagg who was tortured at the hands of Father Lost! Now she has to find a way out of Singapore before Father Lost and his men capture them and finish the job! But with no one to turn to for help, their chances for survival are almost down to zero! She makes a desperate call to her former partner David hoping that he can rescue them before it's to late! Elsewhere, David arrives at the penthouse suite of Lena Killian and rings the belle. Lena, dressed in a seek-through gown opens the door, smiles and welcomes him in. She pours herself a drink and asks him what brings him to her room so late at night. With a seductive look, she asks is there something she has that interests him? David plays things out in his mind. "I have an untraceable weapon. No one saw me come in. All I have to do is pull the trigger and put an end to her once and for all." Lena tells him to have a seat as she sits across from him, leaving nothing to his imagination.
She is a beautiful, attractive woman. A powerful woman who is used to getting what she wants, no matter how many people have to suffer and die because she wants even more power. She reminds David of the warlords who took him and his brother Isaac and other children like t hem. Took them and turned them into child soldiers because they wanted more weapons, more land, more power. It didn't matter how many families were destroyed, lives shattered or how many thousands had to die. All because of a desire for power. Well, I have power too David thinks. I have the power to save millions with a simple act. As Lena continues to talk, he can't hear her words anymore. He thinks of Isaac, who went on to become the serial killer Massacre. Massacre believed that heroes were all failures who deserved to die because no matter how many people they saved, they couldn't save everyone. This is David's chance to save everyone. He will reach into his pocket and put a bullet into her brain and end the threat of Lena Killian once and for all. Then, he will be a hero.
Next Issue: David makes a choice.
32 PGS./Rated T+...$3.99
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