September 2 · 2 hr 29 min
Jace and Rocky break down all 13 DC releases for the week of September 2, 2026. Batgirl #23 finds Cassandra Cain racing through a Gotham overrun by the Parliament of Trees while badly injured herself, determined to get a poisoned girl to the antidote that can save her life. Rather than advancing the larger Bad Seeds plot, the tie-in keeps the focus on Cassandra and her supporting cast, making the event feel more like the backdrop for a Batgirl story than an interruption of one. Batman #13 has Batman fighting his way through the GCPD to confront Vandal Savage, but the detour into Bad Seeds largely puts Matt Fraction's ongoing Batman story on hold. There are entertaining moments of Batman tearing through corrupt officers and demanding they do better for Gotham, but very little actually happens and the momentum from the previous issue's mystery is left waiting for the crossover to get out of the way. JSA #23 jumps into the largely unexplored years after the Justice Society was forced out of public life, with Wildcat, Hourman and Doctor Mid-Nite recruited for a secret Cold War mission behind enemy lines. The period setting and espionage premise immediately feel like a natural fit for the JSA, delivering one of the strongest issues of the run just as the series is approaching its end. 100 Bullets: The U.S. of Anger #3 remains frustratingly difficult to decipher three issues in, even for Rocky as a reader of the original 100 Bullets. The anger and division suggested by the title are certainly present, and the two hate-spewing podcasters provide one of the issue's more recognizable ideas, but neither Jace nor Rocky can determine what Brian Azzarello ultimately wants the story to say. Absolute Green Lantern #18 sees Simon Baz and Agent Zero finally escape the strange space where they have both been trapped and emerge in front of Cameron Chase, who appears to know exactly what has been happening. After eighteen issues of deliberately opaque mythology surrounding the Absolute Spectrum, Manhunters and its different colors and concepts, Chase's promise that "now we get the answers" offers the clearest indication yet that the series may finally start bringing its mysteries together. Absolute Superman #23 brings Superman's relentless pursuit of Brainiac into conflict with Toyman and forces his absolute belief in the sanctity of life into one of its most difficult tests yet. Jason Aaron continues pushing a young Superman who believes he must save absolutely everyone, suggesting that his refusal to accept his own limitations may eventually become as dangerous to him as any villain he faces. Batman/Superman: World's Finest — World's Weirdest #1 pulls Batman and Superman into the wonderfully bizarre world of Weird Al Yankovic in a whimsical story built around a surprisingly sincere message: be yourself, be true to yourself and embrace whatever makes you weird. It's far more fantastical than the type of story Jace usually gravitates toward, but the humor, artwork and genuine Weird Al sensibility make the concept work. Legion of Super-Heroes #1 begins with R.J. Brande's dream of bringing young heroes from across the galaxy together surviving his apparent murder as Brainiac 5 and Matter-Eater Lad investigate what happened to him. Joshua Williamson and Hayden Sherman reinvent the Legion from the ground up while retaining recognizable pieces of its history, including Lightning Lad's love of ancient Superboy comics, and use the mystery surrounding Brande to begin bringing this new generation together. Supergirl: Survived #4 has Kara and a young Kal-El spending much of the issue discovering what their Kryptonian powers can do beneath a yellow sun before encountering Brainiac 5, who may provide the means to finally continue their journey toward Earth. The story is heavily decompressed, but the relationship between Kara and Kal remains its strength while the increasingly unexpected assortment of DC concepts continues giving the series its own identity. Teen Titans #1 finds Jason Todd's search for a child missing for nine days colliding with a group of young heroes conducting their own investigation into their missing friend. Proximity, Fair Play, Cheshire Cat, Wild Card and Eugene Choi aren't actually a superhero team yet—the name Teen Titans began as little more than their online group chat—but their unlikely connection with Jason creates a distinctly modern starting point for Kyle Higgins' new take on the concept. Deadman #4 sends Boston Brand toward Heaven demanding answers about why the souls he has been helping aren't necessarily destined to stay there, only to receive an unexpected lesson about the value of giving someone even a brief moment of hope. The idea gives Deadman a renewed sense of purpose, but neither Jace nor Rocky feels the philosophical detour has enough to say to justify how far the series has moved from the character they know. Doom Patrol #1 introduces a broke Doom Patrol wandering from place to place taking whatever work they can get, including a seemingly mundane job searching for a missing cat. The bizarre visuals certainly fit the team's reputation for weirdness, but the story offers little sense of direction or connection to the previous Doom Patrol run, leaving both Jace and Rocky disappointed by an opening issue that feels far less interesting than its characters should be. Finally, Superman: The Stranger #1 drops Superman into a Black Label world reminiscent of Depression-era America, delivering a visually striking reinterpretation whose gritty setting immediately distinguishes it from the main DC Universe. The artwork is the issue's greatest strength, while the story itself feels familiar enough that Jace is waiting to see whether Wes Craig can push the concept somewhere more original as the series develops. Jace and Rocky also cover this week's collected editions before ranking all 13 books and revealing their Books of the Week.
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00:00 — Opening / Week Overview 17:09 — Batgirl #23 25:44 — Batman #13 30:39 — JSA #23 37:33 — 100 Bullets: The U.S. of Anger #3 43:11 — Absolute Green Lantern #18 57:57 — Absolute Superman #23 1:14:10 — Batman/Superman: World's Finest — World's Weirdest #1 1:23:55 — Legion of Super-Heroes #1 1:37:48 — Supergirl: Survived #4 1:42:42 — Teen Titans #1 1:55:05 — Deadman #4 2:03:59 — Doom Patrol #1 2:12:12 — Superman: The Stranger #1 2:19:12 — Collected Editions 2:21:38 — Rankings & Books of the Week
