Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Joshua Williamson & Michael Moreci, art by Pop Mhan, colors by Ivan Plascencia, letters by Steve Wands.

Speedster Meena, once a S.T.A.R. Labs scientist, is back, after Barry Allen and Wally West were sure she was dead. Her story is that somehow she was absorbed into the speed force, and she’s returned to help Barry with the Negative Speed Force put into him by Reverse-Flash. They and Wally work together to study and try to remove it. Barry and Meena’s one-time romance seems to be back on the table. Then things happen to change it up again.

Recommended.

Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Robert Venditti, art by Patrick Zircher, colors by Jason Wright, letters by Dave Sharpe.

The crossover with Superman seemed to be pitting them against the giant-headed villain Hector Hammond, but as we see in this issue, he’s actually in need of help from them instead, after being attacked by aliens who take over his mental abilities. They create the illusion of a perfect family life for Hal Jordan here on Earth, one that he finds comforting. Superman seems to have been played in a similar way, though we don’t get to see it. A fun combination of the two powerful heroes with a wistful coda for Hal before he’s summoned to the next interplanetary emergency.

Recommended.

Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Sam Humphries, art by Ronan Cliquet, colors by Hi-Fi, letters by Dave Sharpe.

Simon and Jessica have been sent ten billion years into the past, where they are facing off against Volthoom, the First Lantern, and his ring of every color in the emotional spectrum. Beside them are the first seven members of the Green Lantern Corps, but even with all their willpower and teamwork, Volthoom is proving tough to subdue. He wants to go back to his home planet even further in the past, but the rainbow powers of his ring are driving him mad, and making him an extremely dangerous foe. When the Guardians show up, things get even more interesting. And back in our time, in the Vault of Shadows, Rami the rogue Guardian has an emotional reunion with the last of the original seven Green Lanterns.

I’ve really enjoyed this storyline incorporating elements of early GL history, much of it new to me, and this final issue of it is excellent. Recommended.

Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Joshua Williamson, art by Christian Duce, colors by Ivan Plascencia, letters by Steve Wands.

Barry Allen has teamed with young Wally West when in action as The Flash, having found that Wally’s speed force powers help to control his own new negative speed force powers, allowing the two of them to fight crime effectively together. When not in costume, things are awkward, as Barry and Iris West have split and are not speaking. Meanwhile, Barry has to report to the maximum security prison in Central City harbor, Iron Heights, where he and his crime lab partner Kristen have been assigned to work. Kristen feels she’s been sent there unfairly, and is not happy with Barry either. Inside the prison are many of the costumed criminals The Flash put there, making his position all the more precarious. Once in the prison, Warden Wolfe makes it clear he has little time for the crime lab staff, and little interest in their concerns about the harsh way he is running the prison. Outside of Central City, a mysterious new crime lord has been encroaching on the territory of existing crime lord Copperhead, and she’s trying to find him by torturing one of the rival’s men with her venemous snakes. On the final page we have the return of another speedster not seen for a while.

The change of scene and company for Barry Allen makes for interesting reading. Recommended.

Image © DC Entertainment. Written by Robert Venditti, art by Patrick Zircher, colors by Jason Wright, letters by Dave Sharpe.

The Justice League have contacted GL Corps headquarters on Mogo (I wonder how that works?) to request help. All the Earth-born GLs want the assignment, but it goes to Hal Jordan. When he arrives, his contact is Superman, who tells Hal he was attacked by Parallax, and then Sinestro, who brought him to the antimatter planet Qward. As Clark Kent tells his story, Hal Jordan is assailed by a telepathic voice and the realization Superman himself has been taken over by Parallax. They fight, of course, for most of the issue. As the fight ends a different foe is revealed.

I’m not generally a fan of big hero fights, but this one is visually striking, at least. And it’s kind of fun seeing Superman and the original GL interacting.

Recommended.