Trials of Shazam #4 - Rated 6 - Eh it was okay. I think I'll stop reading it and just pick up the last 3 isssues to finally get to the good stuff. Anyways Freddy tracks down Achilles and they go off to stop a demon from comign to Earth.

GLC #7 - Rated 8 - Guy and a new recruit go to an ice planet to find a guy who turns out to be the leader of a secret black ops corp devision called "The Corpse". Guy and the recruit just got transfered and are about to go try to stop some bad aliens... pretty decent issue.

Green Arrow #69 - Rated 8 - GA and Speedy take out some gun runners. Batman is also in town for some reason, which we find out is cause Red Hood is in town meeting with Brick. Good stuff. I'm glad Speedy got some screen time.

52 #32 - Rated 8 - Ralph seeks out some monks in the mountains so he can ask thier most enlightened one about death. Whatever answer he got as of course cryptic. Meanwhile Starfire and crew are about to face the alien hordes.

JLA #4 - Rated 8 - So yea they were making a new Amazo and the Starros are partial robots. But who was having all of this constructed? The reveal was kind of cool/kind of stupid. It's Solomon Grundy. Now all smart and stuff. And oh yea, Roy gets called "Red Arrow" heh.

I hate that Red Arrow thing SOOOOOOOOOO much !!! Arsenal was my favorite character BECAUSE he wasn't the kind of good kid that would follow closely to his mentor. Now, he has become a second rate Green Arrow clone... all for the sake of making Kingdom Come seem more plausible.

I liked this issue a lot. The best part is the end where Guy realizes that he's going to have to start following somebody else's orders again. The art was quite good as well. Wouldn't mind seeing this team stay on for a while.
Plus I'm pumped to see that this may be introducing a focus on more characters than just Guy. I know that there have been storylines with other characters, but I was hoping that this wouldn't turn into Guy Gardner and the Green Lantern Corps. I know it's blaspemy in some circles, but Guy has never been a character I've particularly cared about.

The new Amazo was pretty obvious and the fact that it wasn't really Starro involved seemed less than surprising as well (though I was hoping for a return of the big guy ), but the Solomon Grundy reveal was a fun little twist. Well, until you realize that he's now smart as DC said in his review. I love the character, but I really don't need a revamp to have him being an "evil genius". Maybe it will work itself out somehow.
I enjoyed the Red Arrow joke, but then I wasn't collecting comics for Roy's development as a character so I really can't speak to whether this characterization is true to his history.

A smart Solomon Grundy isn't a new thing. James Robinson's "Starman" series probably pushed that idea the most - though it had popped up once or twice in the past - and the basic premise behind it was that each time Solomon Grundy dies, his next "resurrection" may have either the same personality traits or other parts of the original Cyrus Gold mindset. That's why some versions of Solomon are weaker or some are crueler or some are smarter. This time around, it looks like the cunning schemer part of Cyrus' mind is the bit that's predominant.

you sir are a blashphemer

I don't think that this was the intent. I think Hal almost slipped up and called him Roy, and caught himself.

JLoA and 52 easily the best two reads of the week for me.

Oh, yeah, WTF happned to Justice?

Wow thanks for the history lesson, Doc.

I honestly never knew that. was an aspect of Grundy because I've always seen him as a big oaf!

I second this post and have repped Rokk Krinn for this info. Makes more sense now.

I already knew.

I didn't pick it up since it was a bit pricey for a holiday book, but the last page of the Infinite Christmas Special was probably the funniest last page I've seen in a long while.

Well, la-dee-dah.

You're welcome but don't read too much into the history lesson - for all we know (and based on much of his writing it may very well be the case) Metzer didn't know about this either and just thought, "Hey, wouldn't it be a cool twist if the redneck zombie guy from the Legin of Doom was the mastermind?"

If you're interested in reading more on the topic though, the storyline was reprinted in Starman TPB #5 (Infernal Devices). It also delves more into the "archfoe" relationship between Alan Scott (who guest-stars in the arc) and Solomon/Cyrus as well as the plant elemental aspects that had popped up in the past (leading into another guest-star for the arc, Jason Woodrow and also supporting role from The Batman). Pretty good story and like most of the Robinson "Starman" run, highly recommended.

Stress the "dah" in that next time you say it, pilgrim.

Doesn't that come out every other month? When did the last one come out?

Let's not forget that he's even been brought back as a nice guy. I guess that's the little tiny bit of Cyrus that liked puppies.