Month 13: Rounding out that which did not need it

Aquaman #13: How much sad can a sadface get if a Geoff Johns could write sad? NONE MORE SADFACE. This is like the nexus of Sadface and suck. Manta gets the sceptre from Atlantis which makes his craft into a crazy teleporting device which, handily, Mera has a computer that can track. Because Manta has killed the Russian who has always been Arthur's mate (you know, the one who only turned up a month or so ago) Artur wants to kill Manta but doesn't. Manta's sidekick and/or boss, who Arthur and Mera have randomly decided is a good guy really and therefore don't turn into the police, gets to spend the rest of his life going round to soldiers' widows letting them no their husbands loved them really because he can see their ghosts. Instead of the rational reaction which should be OMG GET AWAY FROM ME YOU FREAK! POLICE! POLICE! instead they coat his shoulders with their grateful tears, giving him a lob on, or something. I hate you, Geoff Johns. Really. You're a worse thing for comics than Rob Liefeld, and I'm not even exaggerating.
Action Annual #1: Can it be true? Is Sholly Fisch really a better writer than GMoz? DON'T BE STUPID, OF COURSE HE'S NOT. Imagine the pain in your heart you feel when you have to read one of his backups, then stretch it out to 10 times the length. Kryptonite Man gets invented in a lab during Action Comics #8 (yes, this takes place 6 months ago) and then gets beaten up by Superman and Steel. The experience convinces Stell he should go off instead and form a startup company in Australia to bring buildings to the natives out there (while learning the digeridoo and how to dance round a fire). Luthor learns from this issue that K hurts Supes, which I thought he already knew (and was shown in Action #2 or #3 as a fact), but feels like OOH PLOT POINT in any case. Despite this, there is a completely unexpected Atomic Skull backup which is very nearly worth the price of admission itself.

Steal it and have a look, you won't regret it.
Batgirl Annual #1: MAKE IT STOP. This has the girl Talon that appeared in Batgirl OWLS (although from memory I think the boxout refers to the wrong issue) and it turns out OWLS are still as active as ever, just not in Batman or any of the Batbooks and Batman and the whole Batfamily (including Batgirl) couldn't give a toss about them because it's Catwoman they're after. And despite the fact just ONE OWL was nearly good enough to kill Bats himself, Catwoman is able to take on several and win (presumably, it all happens offscreen). GIRL POWER! Or something. The whole issue is only an excuse to get the girl Talon into Birds of Prey. Deep joy.
Justice League Dark Annual #1: Hooray for sequential storytelling! A book which comes out after #13 actually takes place after #13! But oh no, it takes place before I, Vampire #8! (Although at least it tells you and acknowledges it, which is something at least.) Anyway, nearly every magical hero you can think of ends up at Nanda Parbat. Where the books of magic eventually reveal they're a super alien space computer. Science not magic, you see?

Go Obama 2012 or something! If not, what is the point of this? It's readable enough I suppose, but... meh.
Swamp Thing Annual #1: Umm. Yes. A prequel to #14, but telling a story from before #0. And it's a pretty good one, all told, or at least very diverting. But as with most of the #0s, adding very little to the plot, really. Can I start another sentence with a preposition? No. Yes? But no. Although yes? It might say something that this kind of wordplay is arguably more entertaining.