DC Universe Online Legends #21

Another week of new comics. I only got one read today though, and it was this one. I am not a fan of the DC Universe Online MMO - I haven't even played it since the Beta. I found their desire to use console style controls and play-style to be detracting. Lots of cool concepts that they had in their game versus other superhero genre MMO's like Champions Online or City of Heroes/Villains like being able to climb walls or "glide" out with acrobatics, but just not as versatile or as robust overall as the others in my opinion for customization, etc.

On the other hand, the backstory for the game is fabulous from the first trailer I ever saw for the game at San Diego Comic-Con 2 years ago, I loved it. This comic book series is all about that back story and has been awesome from the beginning until now. The surprise to me is that it wasn't worked on by Geoff Johns or Jim Lee - the two people who probably did the most work on the game from DC, but has been written by Marv Wolfman (who I think is an oft-under-utilized writer) with art by Bruno Redondo. These guys have done an awesome bringing this story to life and keeping it true to the game that I saw in Beta (and in current from all that I have heard from friends who still play).

The most awesome scene in this issue is the point where current Batman meets future Batman. Current Bats reaches out to touch his future self as Lex Luthor stands by watching in anticipation. After the proximity gets too close the Roche limit takes place and future Batman disappears in a temporal feedback (either he's slungshot back to the future or he's disintegrated - Lex proposes either as a possibility). The fact that Lex knew it would happen due to the Roche limit and does nothing to stop it angers current Batman of course. (For those of us who aren't time travelling nerds, according to Luthor, the Roche limit is the minimum distance a person from two different times can reach before they are destroyed - apparently the effect that occurred was not what the theory proposed according to Luthor though.)

Anyway, for those who aren't familiar, the story is based on Brainiac having made a deal with Lex Luthor to take over the earth. The results is supposed to allow for Lex to finally kill Superman and allow Lex to look like he has saved the earth and thus become the hero he always wanted to be. The problem is Brainiac really just wants to destroy the earth, and he's been using Lex as a patsy. In the future, Brainiac has all but succeeded and Lex travels back in time to ignite super powers in as many people across the earth as possible using the nanites that Brainiac has been using to steal the super powers of all the heroes and villains across the DC Universe. The alliance of earth's heroes and villains to combat Brainiac starts there.

In all, this series has been great. I recommend it to anyone who wants to go look for the back issues, or I recommend if you haven't been reading, when the trade paperback or hardcover comes out go pick it up.

Thanks for reading.