DC Comics New 52 - Stryder's Weekly Top 5

Happy May everybody!  As the weather turns nice, it may seem like there's just not as much time to spend on comic books every week.  Well, there is!  However, there isn't NEARLY as much time to write about them...which is why I've decided a format change is in order!  Going forward, on any given week I'll share my thoughts on my 5 favourite books for the week!  No more, no less...

So Henceforth, Stryder's Favourite Comics becomes - Stryder's Weekly Top 5!  Let's start right away with the first week of May!

Green Arrow #20 - "I'll give you this, Oliver--You may not be the most gifted warrior in the world, but you are tenacious."

Green Arrow may have managed to slip through rival-archer and man-of-mystery Komodo's fingers last issue, but he won't get much of a chance to rest.  What Oliver doesn't know is that one of his two "Alfred-like" support team members managed to survive the destruction of Q-Core a few issues back and is being held captive by Komodo and his psychotic little daughter.  Now Komodo's broadcasting footage of Naomi, live-feed on Ollie's old website, tied up and impaled on a grave marker.  Komodo doesn't have to chase Green Arrow...Green Arrow will come to him!

Oh I forgot to mention that Oliver's so wounded he can barely stand and also there's a bomb.  How's he gonna solve this?  Using the mighty power of arrows?!? 

Once again, Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino make me care about characters that I'd rather find ridiculous.  I don't know how they're turning Green Arrow into such a great comic every month, but they're doing it!  If you only buy one comic this week...

Detective Comics, Worlds' Finest and more after the JUMP!

Detective Comics #20 - "Come and get me, Batman."

Ignatius Ogilvy, the man who would topple both the Penguin and the Batman, finally reveals his end-game this month in a really great issue!  Detective Comics has been really strong for several months now...I feel like it gets overshadowed just from being one of so many Batman titles, but creative team Layman and Fabok have been pretty consistently knocking it out of the park!  Especially when they don't get sucked into a big "event" cross-over and are left to tell their own story. 

Anyway, this month we learn a lot about Ogilvy, his back-story, his motivations, and just what all of his plans have been leading up to!  Penguin and Batman are going to have to (gulp) co-operate to even stand a chance against this guy...he's been planning his move for a long, long time!  I hope we see a lot more of the one-time henchman turned heavy hitter, and from the way this issue ends, I suspect my wish will be granted!

Worlds' Finest #12 - "I am Desaad of Apokolips...and I bow to no one but Darkseid."

Power Girl and Huntress have their hands full as it turns out that the suddenly reappeared Michael Holt is in actuality the creepy cloaked monstrosity from Apokolips know as Desaad!  Sadly for our heroes, they are the ONLY two aware of this fact.  Everyone else thinks that Karen Starr and her "bodyguard" have gone crazy and attacked a rival CEO! 

This allows Desaad to strike hard and fast and get away with...well...murder, for a start!  Bad times ahead for Karen and Helena as now the minions of Apokolips are definitely aware of their presence, including Power Girl's secret identity!  The consequences of this are grave indeed!

On the plus side, Power Girl gets to debut her new-old "boob-window" costume in her own book!  She got her new threads in the last issue of Supergirl, and this costume is made of indestructible Kryptonian material.  Guess that puts an end to Power Girl's costume being torn to bits every issue.  They'll have to come up with a new running gag...

Action Comics #20 - "I'll show the people the truth about the space monster that's been hiding among them."

Lex Luthor's plan slowly unfurls further this month as we join Superman just regaining consciousness after falling from the sky, infected by some sort of crazy virus last issue!  Supes doesn't know that Lex infected him with this virus, or for that matter even where he is!  Turns out Dr. Shay Veritas was monitoring him when he fell and teleported him to her research lab at the center of the Earth (known as "The Block")to prevent the infection from spreading.  Phew!

Well, Superman managed to purge the virus from his body, but in a strange, strange way...the cure may be worse than the disease as it spawns the monster on the front cover...a crazy mess of  combined Kryptonian/Viral DNA known as the Hybrid!  How does this fit into Lex's master plan?  Stay tuned!

Oh, also a pretty cool new back-up story set in the past on Krypton and starring Jor-El starts this month! The World of Krypton Part 1: Discovery looks to shed a lot of light on the landscape and the politics of Superman's doomed home-planet.  Cool!

Aquaman #19 - "It seems to me if the lives lost weren't 'Americans,' they are not worth mentioning."

The undersea struggle for the rule of Atlantis continues to create intrigue in the newest (slightly delayed) issue of Aquaman. While Arthur has returned to be the king in his half-brother's stead, his rule is shaky at best.  Murk and Tula, two of the highest commanders in the Atlantean military, continue their plot to free the previous King Orm from the hands of the surface dwellers and reinstate his rule...recruiting a "surface specialist" of sorts to assist!

Meanwhile on the surface Mera has been kidnapped by the strange ancient and icy being pictured on the issue's cover...he claims to be the TRUE Atlantean king and so far, no one has lived long enough to argue!

Add to that the further interference of an Atlantean artifact-hunter known as the Scavenger and his little collection of nuclear subs, and Aquaman really has his hands full.  Poor guy...all he wanted to do was sit in his lighthouse with Mera, walk his dog and occasionally stop people from drowning...what's a half-human, half-mermaid descendant of royalty to do?

ANNNND...that's my 5 for the first week of May!  Honorable mention to Earth 2 #12 this week, continuing Dr. Fate's new origin...it would have been in my Top 5 if only Aquaman had come out on schedule...so have a look at the cover at least:

New Comic Book Day tomorrow!  Scheduled for release are new issues of Batman, Superboy, Justice League of America and more, including the FINAL issues of Ravagers, Deathstroke and Team 7!

I had to work and didn't make it to Free Comic Book Day last Saturday, (SHAME) but if you missed it there's TONS of F.P. coverage HERE!  Take a look at what was offered!  Hopefully my Local Comic Shop owner saved me a few freebies...he's a cool guy like that! 

If you're not sick of all my rambling quite yet, I attempt to turn buying furniture into a life lesson this week over at Styder's Dementia.  Thanks so much to all of you who read my strange ramblings...I had RECORD BREAKING hits for the month of April!  I'm happy if I get like, 5 hits, and here I am in the thousands...crazy!

So yeah thanks everyone!  Hope you enjoy the new format...as Statler and Waldorf would say "It was dumb!  It was obvious!  It was pointless!  It was...SHORT!  We loved it!" 

Peace and Love everybody!  It's Springtime!!