Review: Superman #27

Superman #27 came out this week and was another example of why I will be missing Brian Michael Bendis when he is off the super-titles. Throughout his run, we have seen Superman as a symbol of hope and goodness and this issue is a perfect example of that. You want to root for this Superman. You want to be this Superman. 

All that characterization is folded into the Synmar Utopica storyline. While this arc is an interesting way to compare and contrast the concept of super-men analogues, I haven't warmed up to the Synmar character yet. I don't quite understand his motives. I don't understand his powers. I don't know what happened in the conclave of his people that spurred this whole thing on. (Although I have a theory I will share at the end.)

I have complimented Ivan Reis and Danny Miki before on their art on the title. But they continue to stun me. This is a crazy issue in choatic dimensions and alien environments. This is a slugfest. And then in the middle we have a quiet scene between Lois and Lana. It all just sizzles on the page. Once again, I have to mention Alex Sinclair's colors. Synmar is vibrant. His halo energies dazzling. And there is one sequence of space travel which is just brilliant.

Just one more month. Will this all get wrapped up?

On to the book.

Last issue we got a splash page of Superman falling away from Synmar's hands. Here we open with Synmar closing in on Superman's outstretched arms. Whether it has been globes or Daily Planet tweets or action poses, Bendis and the art teams have done a nice job of giving us thematic opening pages to settle us in.

But the concept here is sound. Yes, Superman knows there is evil out there in the universe. (He mentions the people he hits ... Luthor, Brainiac, Mongul .. as examples.) But usually what is perceived as evil comes from a place of pain or misunderstanding.

Even though Synmar is incredibly powerful and probably capable of killing Superman, our hero wants to understand and help. 

That's the Superman we need. Heck, that's the Supergirl we need.

As if to prove the point, Xa-Du shows up. We are in the Phantom Zone. Unlike the pain Superman is perceiving in Synmar, he calls Xa-Du a monster. There is evil out there. And you have to stop it.

And to prove another point, we see Synmar take out Xa-Du with one shot. Superman has skirmished long and hard with the Phantom King. We know can gauge Synmar's power level. Impressive.

We break away to see that Lana has popped over to Lois' place.

It is an interesting interaction for a couple of reasons. One, this hug seems a bit forward. I do like how Lois assumes Lana is there for Clark and not her ... or not them. Hm.

But the best thing was the 'how long has it been' question. Is the Superwoman book in continuity any more? Is it unclear how long it has been because of the odd ripples in time/space (as seen in Young Justice)?

But Lana is there because Clark said something to her in their interview that struck her deeply. She is wide-eyed. It seems like she is shuddering. That's weird. What could he have said?

And then Lois produces the book she has been writing. Remember when she didn't live with Clark and couldn't tell him what she was writing about and that opened up the can of worms of her 'cheating' on Clark? Looks like we will finally have closure to that.

With that side bar over, we are back in the Phantom Zone.

Despite being nearly overwhelmed by Synmar, Superman is still trying to communicate.

Our hero basically stops and refuses to fight. He feels pain in Synmar, as if Utopica blames Superman for something. 

And for a second it seems to work. Synmar pauses. 

But it is just a pause. 

Hmmm ... seems like there is a lot of anger in there. More on this later.

To Superman, it seems like he has to get to the root of the issue ... meaning he needs to find out why Synmar has traveled this far. So he opens up the Phantom Zone away from Earth.

This is my favorite panel of the whole book.

When Xa-Du tries to escape, Superman grabs him and chucks him back into the Zone. But you feel the sudden stop of Xa-Du, the tug on his cape, and you see Superman is already in pitching form to toss the villain back.

I love this panel!

Somehow, Superman communicates he is willing to follow Synmar to Synmar's world. Despite pleas from Kelex to not do this Superman does break all the barriers and flies off.

I mean, there are a bunch of unknowns. Fly into a red sun area and die. Fly into an army of Synmar's and die. How will he get back?

So is this the right thing to do?

I can see how Superman has to solve this problem and since he can't do that here, I guess he has no choice.

Sure enough, Synmar's system has an orange sun.

Superman's powers are off. He feels flu-ish and tingly. He is unsure if he can control himself.

 It's not the first time Superman has felt all tingly under an orange sun. But, then again, Luma Lynai has that effect on people. 

 An orange sun just weakened Supergirl when she was under it in Superman Family.

In that system, Synmar can now speak. He tells Superman that he is glad the Kryptonian has surrendered and that punishment will proceed.

Hmmm .... who is handing out that punishment?

We know that Synmar's collective was attacked and seem dead. 

We know that Utopica had issues with his role in the Synmar society and felt he had done wrongs. 

We know that when his Queen died she said that she assumed Utopica was their Superman but was wrong. 

I had assumed she said that because he had failed to protect them. But now I think I am wrong.

I think he killed them all. 

He snapped. Went into a fugue state of rage. We have seen that. He was upset with what he has become. Remember they placed that mantle of super-soldier on him. And realizing that he couldn't live up to the name/ideal of Superman, he transferred his anger on the Man of Steel. 

So he attacks.

No one is on that planet to hand out a punishment. This is delusion. 

We'll see if I am right. We know how other guesses of mine have turned out.

But how great to see this inspirational Superman talk about always looking for a non-violent solution. And we finally get Lois' book!

And the art is simply scrumptious.

Overall grade: A

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Marie Javins Named Editor-In-Chief

 

The DC bloodbath was a couple of months ago. At the height of the pandemic,Dan Didio and senior editors were shown the door. Comics were canceled. The '5G' future was scrapped (sort of ... you can't convince me that Future State isn't some grab at material already produced). And I began to wonder if DC was in trouble.

It didn't help that there was no inkling at all about what is happening post-Future State. Will we pick up where we left off? Is Death Metal a death knell for the Rebirth timeline? 

Finally, this week, some good news came out. Marie Javins was named Editor-In-Chief. Here is a link to Variety's article: https://variety.com/2020/film/news/dc-comics-marie-javins-editor-in-chief-1234826235/ 

 For me, this was a great announcement. It might sound dramatic but I thought to myself 'this is a great move'.

And the article and a quote from Javins only bolstered that feeling.

 The Editor-In-Chief name dropping Supergirl as one of the comics she 'devoured' as a kid can only be considered fantastic news. FANTASTIC NEWS! 

We needed an Editor-In-Chief who actually likes Supergirl. 

We don't need someone who thinks the only thing to do with Supergirl is make her angry, dark, and evil.

That made me smile.

I mean, looking at the books that Javin has been editor on in the past is like a 'best of' list of comics which have made me smile over the last several years.

 To name a few, I see Adventures of the Super Sons, DC Superhero Girls, Future Quest, Justice League Dark, Legion/Bugs Bunny, and Mystik U on the list of books under her care. I loved all of these.

I mean, she even was editor on Snickers Supergirl/Jesse Quick comic I love.

Maybe ... just maybe ... this means we'll get a Supergirl book on the shelf that treats her right.

Now I understand that there may have been layoffs along with this. But I think I'll just linger on the good news.

What do you all think?

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Marie Javins Named Editor-In-Chief

 

The DC bloodbath was a couple of months ago. At the height of the pandemic,Dan Didio and senior editors were shown the door. Comics were canceled. The '5G' future was scrapped (sort of ... you can't convince me that Future State isn't some grab at material already produced). And I began to wonder if DC was in trouble.

It didn't help that there was no inkling at all about what is happening post-Future State. Will we pick up where we left off? Is Death Metal a death knell for the Rebirth timeline? 

Finally, this week, some good news came out. Marie Javins was named Editor-In-Chief. Here is a link to Variety's article: https://variety.com/2020/film/news/dc-comics-marie-javins-editor-in-chief-1234826235/ 

 For me, this was a great announcement. It might sound dramatic but I thought to myself 'this is a great move'.

And the article and a quote from Javins only bolstered that feeling.

 The Editor-In-Chief name dropping Supergirl as one of the comics she 'devoured' as a kid can only be considered fantastic news. FANTASTIC NEWS! 

We needed an Editor-In-Chief who actually likes Supergirl. 

We don't need someone who thinks the only thing to do with Supergirl is make her angry, dark, and evil.

That made me smile.

I mean, looking at the books that Javin has been editor on in the past is like a 'best of' list of comics which have made me smile over the last several years.

 To name a few, I see Adventures of the Super Sons, DC Superhero Girls, Future Quest, Justice League Dark, Legion/Bugs Bunny, and Mystik U on the list of books under her care. I loved all of these.

I mean, she even was editor on Snickers Supergirl/Jesse Quick comic I love.

Maybe ... just maybe ... this means we'll get a Supergirl book on the shelf that treats her right.

Now I understand that there may have been layoffs along with this. But I think I'll just linger on the good news.

What do you all think?

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Back Issue Box: Justice League Of America #149

 

Today I continue my look back at the origins of Mark Shaw Leviathan by reviewing Justice League #149. I have been looking back at this year in Justice League as writer Steve Englehart and artist Dick Dillin were doing some mind-blowing stories. Honestly, there may have been drugs involved.

Englehart really was diving deep into the DC mythology in this run, both bringing back old villains and adding new wrinkles to DC history. He brought Commander Blanx into continuity, changing the JLA's 'first mission'. He made the Manhunters part of the Green Lantern history. He brought back the Key and Snapper Carr. And, most importantly for this run on the blog, he brought back Mark Shaw Manhunter, a one-shot wonder by Jack Kirby who now was enmeshed in League business.

Since Justice League of America #140, Shaw had been showing up in the books. After learning the Manhunters were a corrupt group, Shaw dons pirate gear and becomes The Privateer. While not a League member, he sure pushes himself into their business. In fact, he get close enough that some even consider bringing him on board. Others aren't so sure.

In this issue, we again see Shaw sticking his nose into League affairs, showing his mental capabilities and his fighting prowess. We even get a truncated take on his origin with some new tidbits. 

It is all fascinating and we are approaching another turn.

Dillin continues to dazzle here. The main villain here is Dr. Light who has many different weapons which have bizarre effects. He seems as much the Mirror Master here as Dr. Light. And Dillin brings it, bring some almost Ditko-esque insanity to the proceedings.

On to the book.

'The Face of the Star-Tsar' opens up with no Leaguer.

Instead we see The Privateer ... Mark Shaw ... About to engage Dr. Light in combat.

Dr. Light has surmised that the League has teleporters to the satellite around here and is hoping his light weapons will allow him entry into the headquarters so he can get revenge. In prior issues, Shaw learned of the teleporters and states that he has included this rooftop on his patrols to keep the teleporter in his sights (even if invisible).

Nice opening action page with the Privateer jumping from above.

This is no buffoon Dr. Light. Throughout this issue he gets tremendous respect from the League as one of their deadliest foes. And with the weapons he produces throughout, he deserves it. 

In fact, it seems initially like he get the drop on Shaw. But it turns out The Privateer was playing possum. After a brief Light monologue, Shaw calls for the JLA to beam down and help out. Shaw mentions how his training allowed him to shrug off Light's attack. 

With the bulk of the League beaming in Light takes off.

So how did Shaw have a JLA communicator to call them? He rigged one himself after seeing it in use in prior issues. This shows that he has the tech background which makes his turn as Leviathan more credible.

It also angers Batman who has never really trusted Shaw, also interesting given Batman's role in Event Leviathan.

The League scatters to find Light only to be stymied over and over by a device or a trap.

Recent member Red Tornado is eager to prove his worth. But 'I am the Red Tornado ... I clean up!' seems a little too quippy for Reddy.

Still, this is a mirage and Tornado is sheepish he was fooled.

On his way back to his headquarters, Light runs into a new super-villain, the Star-Tsar.

The Tsar says he will ultimately be the master of the world and people like Light will need to step aside. 

The Tsar shows no power other than enhanced speed as he runs away from Light after this warning.

It is interesting to see Light get so upset as the new villain trash talking that he vows he'll bring the Tsar down. You think he wouldn't let this unknown rent space in his head.

The League and The Privateer regroup and talk about how they didn't find Light.

It allows Shaw to give us a recap of his origin from the 1st Issue Special #5 to JLA #140 and JLA #141. 

But Englehart adds a few new wrinkles, most likely to explain Shaw's super-hearing, surviving Wonder Woman punches, and enhanced skills. Part of the training was improving his body via technology. So this is another way that his adept use of tech (and even his cyborg-like look) in Leviathan makes more sense.

Shaw talks about how he became addicted to the power and feeling of invincibility the suit gave him. Once he saw how immoral the Manhunters were and recognized his addiction, he needed to shed that aspect of his identity away.

And so he decided to become the much more garish Privateer. 

He even apologizes for sort of pushing himself on the JLA. He wants to be a hero and fight for justice.

There is almost some zealotry here, some pushing of boundaries, which again link up nicely with Leviathan.

But his idealism and eagerness makes some of the Leaguers wonder if he would make a good member.

Meanwhile, the Star-Tasr and some goons are trying to rob some collection of royal jewels to bankroll their plans for world domination. Dr. Light, seeing this robbery, brings it to the attention of the police. That in turn gets the attention of the League.

In a turn that feels straight from comics today, Batman has already changed the JLA communicators so that Shaw's no longer works.

The League goes off and makes short work of the Tsar's flunkies. But the Tsar himself gets away. Moreover, the are confused because they think this is all Dr. Light's work.

They once again take off to find not only Light bit the Star-Tsar.

Zig-zagging around the city, the Flash literally runs into Snapper Carr.

Once again, Englehart taps DC history, reviewing Snapper's first adventures, his disillusionment and joining the Joker, and even later helping the team one more time.

But Snapper is pretty bitter. He wants nothing to do with the League. He storms off.

Okay, with both Light and the Star-Tsar out there, I wonder why the League take so much time to re-acquaint themselves with Snapper. I suppose he is an old friend. But there are two big villains loose. Unless they think his prior dip into villainy and his happening to be around makes him a suspect.

I love how Flash notices the lack of snaps. Is that a tip-off of guilt? Or simply an older man stopping a habit?

One more time, the League sets off to find Dr. Light and this time the Flash detects the villain's lair, hidden from sight by light-bending rays.

The team jumps in but here is where Englehart shows how dangerous Light is. The super-foe has a variety of weapons that holds off even the best of Leaguers.

Incredibly, The Privateer, still with the team, swoops in and lands a left hook.

And then Light has the heroes caught in a foolproof trap. All of the heroes (hmmm ... or is it all of them) are trapped within a metal globe. A cloud of infinitesimal needles swirl around the outside ready to chew up anyone who enters the vortex. And the center of the globe, Light has  Spectriminator gun which dices up the heroes into each spectrum of color, causing extreme and never-ending pain.

That's messed up. Dillin does a great job showing us this nightmare!

Thankfully ... or maybe luckily ... Green Lantern's ring is outside the yellow spectrum. Using his will, he reintegrates himself. Then he reintegrates the others. 

But the needle whirlwind is still there.

Amazingly, the trap is turned off by the Star-Tsar. He doesn't want Light around either.

For now, his cause and the League's cause are the same.

With seemingly incredible speed, the Tsar disappears.

Just then Light returns to find the whole League free.

After firing wildly with his weapons, Light is knocked out.

The fight brings down Light's lair. And outside in the wreckage is the Star-Tsar.

And it is Snapper Carr!

Lots to mull over here. But for me, looking retrospectively at these issues and reading Event Leviathan, I see how Brian Michael Bendis could see Mark Shaw as Leviathan. From his zeal to his mastery of tech to his sense of justice, he is Leviathan.

In its entirety, this is a whirlwind of a book with lots of action and plot. And the Dillin art is superb.

One more chapter in this part of the timeline to go through!

Overall grade: B+

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Review: Young Justice #20

Young Justice #20 came out this last week, the last issue of this title which I am very sad to see end,  I have enjoyed almost every book under the Wonder Comic imprint but this book, to me, had the most promise.  There were old school characters - Superboy, Robin, Wonder Girl, Spoiler,  and Impulse. There was a reimagined Amethyst and Wonder Twins. And there were new characters - Teen Lantern, Jinny Hex, and Naomi. They each had unique personalities. There were mysteries and back stories. And most importantly there was chemistry. This book crackled.

Writer Brian Michael Bendis brought a lot of fun and snark and witty repartee to the proceedings all while dancing around the main mystery ... how did the main characters exist when the countless recent reboots seemed to erase them. I loved every issue of this series even when I wished the underlying plot would move along quicker.

And now, before we even get to answer to the mystery, the book is ending. DC is purging and cancelling in rapid fire. We have another '2 months off' event after Dark Metal finally rusts and crumbles away. And who knows what the future holds? 

In the end, like many books, I have to just be thankful I got what I got and return to it when I can.

The art in this issue is by Scotty Godlewski and his style (like cover artist John Timms) is perfect for the book. I love his take on these characters.

On to this series' finale, chock full of goodness.

The issue is a sort of spotlight on Teen Lantern, much like we have had issues devoted to the other characters. We start out with Lantern fighting someone off when the alien tech she has goes on the fritz.

I love the rip in the mask, showing the eye, a very Spidey look.

And I love this recap of her origin where she says no one got a weapon from a dying alien and became a hero, knowing full well that is Hal's origin. Hilarious.

Before we see who she is fighting, we dial back the clock 30 minutes. The original YJ show the newbies their old/new headquarters, the classic JLA mountain headquarters in Happy Harbor RI. 

The newbies are tickled at the idea.

But it is Robin's voicing that back in the day it was theirs ... whatever day that was, that grabbed me.

When was there a YJ in Happy Harbor in the current DC continuity? Does it even matter?

And I have to say, I love seeing Tim Drake back in his Robin duds.

Inside the headquarters, the team comes across a deactivated Red Tornado. Now old timers like me remember Reddy being the mentor and teacher to the team. So this was a nice call back.

But it is the banter I love. Bendis has such a way with dialogue. 

So hearing them tease Teen Lantern for being a big Red Tornado fan is funny. And for a Philip K. Dick fan like me, a whole riff on 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep' is worth the cover price.

Then Reddy activates and doesn't recognize the heroes and attacks to defend the base.

One by one the heroes go down.

Again, it is the moments within the scenes that elevate.

Like Naomi coming out with a cool battle line only to miss with her right cross. Yes, that would've been so cool if it landed.

Finally, ironically, it is Teen Lantern, the Red Tornado fan, who blasts him to bits.

It is the umpteenth time I have seen Reddy broken apart.

The attack alerts Jon Stewart who comes to investigate.

He tries to take her tech away but she refuses to give it up. 

It is almost sweet how she says that whatever the alien was saying to her in the indecipherable tongue, she interpreted it as a call to be a hero.

That's the way it was back in the day! Ray Palmer can shrink? He'll help humanity. Hal gets a ring? He'll help humanity.

So why not have someone called to do something noble in these cynical times.

She pleads with Jon. After all, hasn't he ever experienced something where he suddenly felt like he had a purpose?

The answer is that of course he has, when he got his ring.

You see it in his face that he recognizes that sentiment.

Nice expressive work throughout by Godlewski. 

And then all the other heroes basically tell Jon to take off. They won't let him take their friends Green Lantern tech. They stand up to him for her. 

We even get a nice team shot of the entire Young Justice.

There are so many of my favorites here! Why does this title need to end?

Teen Lantern feels that support. 

This is a team. This is family. They'll be there for each other. 

What is on the other side of the upcoming Future State crossover event. Will there be a reboot? Will this team still exist? Will we see them together? Is part of the new universe an explanation of all these remnant continuities suddenly co-existing? Will Wonder Comics still exist?

I guess the whole point of back issues is knowing I can revisit these books. But really what I want to read is what comes next! It is the stories I won't read that I'm missing.

Thanks to all involved. Let's hope we see this team again ... somewhere ...

Overall grade: A

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Review: Batman/Superman #13

Batman/Superman #13 came out last week, the next part in the Planet Brainiac arc. I liked the first part in this story as it gave us a sideways World's Finest pairing of Batwoman and Steel. And the art by Max Raynor was very polished.

The overall plot is intriguing. Batman has written a program to predict where super-villains will strike so he and Superman can be more pro-active rather than reactive. But then a Brainiac program worms its way into the program and decides that to be the best prediction tool it needs to understand both the villains and the heroes. On the dark side of the moon, Brainiac pits Batman and Superman against a never ending parade of robot versions of the villains, all while learning.

But the intriguing bit is hearing Brainiac trying to figure out our heroes. He must know that robot dupes won't be a real threat. Instead, he uses them to engage our title characters in a conversation about their motivations and histories. Brainiac wants to know they whys ... why do heroes become heroes and why do villains become villains. And those conversations are pretty well done. Kudos to Joshua Williamson.

Sure there are things about this issue that are wonky. But the action is fast and furious and the dialogue is crackling and the art is slick. I buy comics to be entertained. And I was very entertained. 

Steel and Batwoman have made their way to the moon, following Batman's misinterpreted  message. The Dark Knight didn't want any heroes to come and rescue them. This pair misconstrued.

Brainiac sends out some robot rogues. But they are just fodder. Nice panel of Batwoman using Steel's hammer to dole out some justice.

Now I could ask how Batwoman so quickly adapts to fighting on the moon in a moon-suit. But why quibble.

Meanwhile Batman is trussed up by a robot Riddler and forced to answer idiotic brain teasers.

I love the Riddler.

Our hero solves them all and quickly breaks free.

And then the probing.

First Brainiac asks Batman some hard questions. Why does he do what he does? It's a code, so no one else needs to feel that pain.

But Brainiac quickly points out that many of Batman's villains are born from similar tragedies. Why is the Dark Knight different?

Sick of the questions, Batman asks for the ultimate challenge, a Joker-bot.

But this is also a trap. Batman knows a Joker-bot will act chaotic, like the real thing, actually undermining the Brainiac program like a virus.

Clever.

Elsewhere, Superman is also fielding questions.

Why did he become a hero? Why isn't Lex a hero even though they speak similarly?

Superman talks about the way he was raised, the values he has. That isn't Lex, who acts selfishly. 

Inside the Brainiac dome, Batwoman and Steel finally 'rescue' the heroes.

I do love Steel's answer here. Why try and make your way through a maze when you can bust through the walls? 

I honestly love that. Why play by Brainiac's rules?

In what seems like an inevitable turn, this Brainiac ... who is doing all this to be able to help Batman better anticipate villain attacks ... turns evil. Using logic, he figures out the easiest way to learn about villains is to become one. And after learning so much about Superman and Batman, he decides the best form is that of Composite Superman.  With all four of our heroes on the moon, this new robot Brainiac heads to Earth.

We start out with Doomsday getting bashed by Batwoman. We head into some cerebral look at our heroes. And we end with more baddies being pummeled. 

Not bad ... not bad at all.

Now if I had my druthers, next issue another World's Finest ... let's say Supergirl and Nightwing ... end up thwarting this thing. But I doubt that'll happen. 

Regardless, this was fun.

Overall grade: B+

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Back Issue Box: Justice League #143

I continue my look back at the history of Mark Shaw Leviathan with a peek at Justice League of America #143. 

I recently reviewed JLA #140 and JLA #141 where the history of the Manhunters was upended and retconned by Steve Englehart.  While Englehart was done with the Manhunter androids, he wasn't done with Mark Shaw.

In this issue, we see that Shaw wasn't done with his quest for justice. But he wanted to shed himself of the baggage that came with the name Manhunter and the distinctive armor. He creates a new super-heroic persona for himself. And while not invited into the League, he certainly interacts with the members a lot.

But the bigger story is the League battling a mind controlled Wonder Woman, the Injustice League, and The Construct, Steve Englehart's malevolent sentience of all the communication waves going around the Earth. I know the Construct from JLA #142 (an issue from my youth) and as a Red Tornado rogue (dubious distinction at best). I won't cover the Construct side of this issue too much as I want to concentrate on Shaw.

Dick Dillin is on art and as usual, his stuff is gorgeous. 

On to the book.

We start out with a dynamic splash page which mirrors the cover.

Wonder Woman is fighting Superman!

The Superman Vs Wonder Woman treasury was a year away from being released! This cover would certainly have caught my eye on the spinner rack. 

And while my money would be on Superman, this definitely would have been a 'we always wondered who would win' issue for me then and even now.

During the prior JLA issues I reviewed in this Manhunter review, Wonder Woman seemed very on edge. She was quite terse and perhaps even angry at her teammates for any number or reasons. They belittle her. They're stupid. They're chauvinists. 

I have to say it feels like she is over-reacting. But that feeling that she is being mistreated continues. Returning from their mission, she decides she has had it with the League and storms off.\

Back on Earth, she immediately runs into Injustice League members Scarecrow and Poison Ivy mid-heist.

But there is also a third man there, dressed like a pirate complete with sword and eyepatch. Assuming he is another villain, she attacks.

Whoever he is, he has some skills, able to shake off the Amazon's punch and strike Wonder Woman to gain some physical space. Pretty impressive stuff given how powerful we know Diana to be.

Still, this squabbling gives Poison Ivy enough time to create giant vines to detain the two.

It turns out this new guy is The Privateer, the new codename and costume of Mark Shaw, Manhunter.

He has tasted the quest for justice, he doesn't want to be associated with the evil Manhunter cult anymore, thus the new look. 

But his training is pretty evident. He was able to hold off Wonder Woman. And he still has the Manhunter baton, a sort of omni-weapon.

So Shaw remains dedicated to justice ... or so it seems.

Remember, as Leviathan his quest is for transparency. He hates secrets and deception. I suppose worldwide truth is a sort of justice.

Hearing a bit of Wonder Woman's anger, Shaw invites Wonder Woman out for a bite! And she agrees. Okay, that's a bit weird. But sure enough, Englehart shows to two in a restaurant eating and talking. And the other diners seem unfazed by the two. I guess Shaw has his wallet on him? Ahhh, the Bronze Age. 

While the initial conversation is friendly, Wonder Woman gets quite irked when Shaw points out that her mind wandered during their conversation. (In truth it was wandering as an outside force is trying to work its way into Diana's mind.)

And the anger we have seen her manifest recently flares again as she outright attacks Shaw, tossing him off a building.

Sahw is actually concerned about Wonder Woman's actions, enough to try and get his way back into the JLA satellite to warn them. Moreover, he was quick enough to slip a tracker onto Wonder Woman to boot. You have to admit, Shaw has cunning. And, at least for now, seems like he respects the League.

While he can't enter the transporter, he is present when Batman returns to the planet. 

After a quick explanation of who he is and how he can track Diana, Batman agrees to team up. 

Wonder Woman has fallen under the control of someone or something who advises her that she has a tracker on her. She leaves it in a building before heading back to the satellite. 

Heading inside, Shaw is able to do some detective work of his own, spying the transmitter and saving Batman from a trap.

Batman certainly didn't like the Manhunters or their 'bounty hunter' ways. And in classic Bat tradition, isn't sure he should trust Shaw. But you have to like Shaw's persistence.

And then more of that Manhunter training. He could hear the trap's lasers trip on. Even Batman is impressed.

For me, when Leviathan was revealed to be Shaw, I kind of was unsure if I could believe he had access to all the tech we had seen. I wasn't sure if he had the skills to be the leader he was shown to be. (Of course, I thought Ted Kord had the tech and the skills).

But as I have read these old Manhunter stories, I have become a believer. The Manhunter tech certainly is impressive. Shaw has tussled with Wonder Woman here and even out-skilled Batman in a death trap.

While the other Justice Leaguers battle the other Injustice Leaguers Chronos and Mirror Master to a stalemate, Wonder Woman heads to the Injustice League satellite. There, the Construct says her anger against the League was real enough that he could enter her mind and take control, just as he has had control of the Injustice League themselves. 

He makes her go to the JLA satellite and fight Superman. She wins and then has Superman call the rest of the League to the satellite for an 'emergency meeting'. But the way he says it is odd enough to make them wonder about whether he was coerced.

Given the villains they have all faced recently are from the Injustice League, the figure out that maybe they should just head to the villains' satellite instead of the JLA satellite.

Sure enough, they find the Injustice League on their satellite and dispatch the villains quickly. Realizing this plot is over, the Construct releases the villains and Wonder Woman from his control. Thankfully Wonder Woman is quickly forgiven.

All right, the overall story about the Construct is a little bonkers. I don't know why he can worm his way into Wonder Woman's mind. I can't believe the Injustice Leaguers would allow the Construct to control them so they would be 'more efficient'. And I don't know why the Injustice League loss would make the Construct release Wonder Woman. 

But this is about Mark Shaw and once again he shows some charisma, some skills, and some tech. Is this further foundation for his turn to Leviathan ... if I can even include pre-Crisis history in a post-Rebirth continuity? I believe yes. He parries an Amazon and out-escapes Batman. That is incredible. 

A couple more issues in this run of JLA in this Leviathan/Mark Shaw  review. And a couple more twists as well.

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