Please don't be over inked. Please don't be over inked.

That is one sexy character! Not fond of the belly shirt.

Yeah, I thought the opening sequence in the first issue looked great and then the parts with Renee didn't look nearly as sharp - I'm not sure who inked what but it was a marked difference in my eyes.

I was disappointed in the first issue.  It just felt like I was missing a lot of the background info.  I didn't read the Crime Bible series and I think I would have gotten a lot more out of #1 if I had read it.

Curious to read about Batwoman.  I'm not familiar with her.

@Kory They just need to do something with her. Right now she's just sitting there doing nothing. It's so frustrating cuz they made a HUGE deal out of her two years ago during 52. And then just... not much...

GungaDin- DC has a lot of characters just sitting there doing nothing.  But, I'm sure after Final Crisis that will change, I hope.  I just read that Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns are discussing a new Aquaman title, and I heard Jim Starlin is preparing a new Hawkman series.

@Kory I just remembered that Batwoman will be on James Robinson's Justice League.

@Kory - You're right, after Final Crisis everything will change, because Evil Wins! All the heroes will be dead!  ... Just imagine for a second DC actually had the balls to do that? Eventually in 6 months or a year all the heroes come back from the dead & win, but have all the DC books run by villains for a while. It'd be pretty awesome. But, the fanboy backlash would melt the interwebs ...

Is this the same Batwoman from a few years back who was mute?

@GungaDin- I keep forgetting that she is going to be in that title. @Wade- I don't think the internet could handle the fanboy rage if DC did that. :) I'm just hoping Final Crisis leads to something that is'nt retconned a year later.

@AlexG  That was Batgirl, Cassandra Cain.  She's still around.  Batwoman is Kate Kane (wow, that's not confusing at all!) who was introduced in 52.  I have minimates of her and the Question, so it would be nice to actually see them in a comic together again!

I loved the first issue of this and cant wait. I know a lot of people were down on Tan's art but i thought it was servicable. And with the death of one of the worst villians and the twist with spectre it was just a good read. Hope this one keeps it going strong.

I thought the art was great can't wait for this issue.

I've never read much of the Question but that cover makes her look a little like the Spirit.

@Hawkboy - Awesome! I thought I was the only one who thought the art was great in issue #1. :)

@ WadeWilson, alright I'm not alone in liking the art. I was not too sure what was going on but, dang the Spectre looked sweet.

Warning - Some spoilers I am not sure exactly why I didn't enjoy this issue as much as I had hoped I would, but I didn't.  The Vandal Savage moment was cool (but is he changed/ruined forever?) and the Batwoman change was interesting (but didn't we already know that happened?).  I know things happened in this issue that I should care about and that should be interesting, but something about the way they were presented (The Question basically hiding behind Mercy for a number of pages) just didn't click.

The writing in this issue was very declarative.

*Spoiler- So...Vandal Savage is Cain from the Bible? That's cool, I guess.

SPOILER @Kory - I think it is kind of cool but I wasn't sure if this was something new or if it was just something about him that was stated before.  If it's new then wow thats pretty cool and it works really well.  I mean I'm not a huge fan of having the bible being fact in the DCU, but if they say that the story of Cain came from something Savage did in the pass or something like that then I'm okay with that. Something just doesn't sit right with me about having so much heavy handed God talk in this issue.  For someone who isn't Jewish or Christian it's kind of offputting.

@CharlieBlix- I'm not that familiar with Vandal Savage, but I know that he was various historical figures like Alexander the Great and Joseph Stalin, so it would make sense he was also the Biblical Cain.  An the more I think about it, it's actually cool.

Hmm, I was hoping I could read this without following the rest of Final Crisis.  But I really don't know what's going on or what's at stake.  Didn't help that I couldn't follow the art.  Anyway, I'll probably keep getting it because it's a Renee & Kate story but it's not what I was hoping to read.

@ohcaroline - Yeah I'm reading Final Crisis and I was lost but thats because I never read crime bible so I feel ya on that one.  I'm not having a problem with the art but I can see how people could.  Over all I kind of dig the art.  Has a nice feel to it.

Good issue

@ohcaroline - What exactly are you having trouble with?  Maybe someone here can help out.  I am feeling like I missed something with the Spear and Vandal Savage.  Was him being Cain or the explanation of the spear discussed in Crime Bible or are we getting all we need here?  I feel like I am getting enough to enjoy it moderately, but I also feel that I am missing some details.  Is Mercey a new character?  How is The Question supposed to be the leader of the cult?

DC already has a Cain from the Bible in their continuity. He's the caretaker of The House of Mystery. Yeah, I know that HOM has been made off with by Vertigo but it's still part of that strange corner of Vertigo that's really still part of the DCU.

This art bounced from good to not good. The writing was pretty solid, but... Man... My complaint is the art. The Angel of Mercy was cool, but that page where Batwoman showed up made me do a Conor eugh. It was just so overrendered and bad and ugh.

The girl said "the first had returned" and Savage asked where was the one who "marked" him.  Now I'm not a theologian but I thought Cain was the one who introduced evil into the world, so that would explain the "first" comment, and after he killed Abel that Cain was "marked" by God.  I did'nt know Vertigo was part of the DCU, so I guess I got it wrong.

Another cool issue, & the title finally makes sense to me after this issue (I'm a bit slow). I liked the art again (but not as much as in issue #1) and Rucka is reminding me why he's been one of my favourite writers for so long. One question though: Was Vandal Savage always "The First" from the Crime Bible or was he possessed or something when the spear went through him?

@Kory Maybe the person who marked him was God's Vengence, aka Crispus Allen, The Spectre?

I really enjoyed this issue. I almost felt like I got punched in the gut when Crispus realized there was Mercy. Great moment. I do wish I had read Crime Bible and the Spectre mini where he had to off his son; but I'm not totally lost. I can't wait to see where this is gonna go, hopefully towards the Spectre being slightly less douchey.

it's strange that The Spectre, with all the trouble in the DC universe, should be so strongly compelled to take out Renee Montoya and strange at all that DC personas can state with conviction that there is a God. you might think it'd make more villains reluctant to stay the course of damnation? No god shall come before me.. except Darkseid, Orion, The Highfather, etc.? 

@GungaDin-  I interpreted it as God used The Spectre to "mark" him.  I was just confused if Vandal Savage is meant to be Cain from the Bible.  I have'nt read the Crime Bible series yet so I don't have the whole picture.  But as I was reading the book I just assumed Vandal Savage was the Biblical Cain. @FACE- It's like my mom always told me, "God works in mysterious ways".

@Kory If Vandal Savage is Cain from the Bible that wouldn't surprise me. I know very little about Vandal Savage, but if this is the first time they mentioned it or I learned about it, I wasn't shocked. It all just clicked really well...

@GungaDin- I actually think it's cool what they're doing with him.  It makes him a more prominent villian in my eyes.

Hey all.  Some points for everyone here. @Kory Yes, I think they are definitely talking about Cain from the bible.  The Mark of Cain has been interpreted by some, ahem, religious hardliners, to be a visual identification of Cain and his descendants.  Usually used against a visible minority.  Vandal Savage being as old as the 2nd man alive would make plenty of sense.  @ All.  The telling point for me was the Angel of Mercy's tale regarding Abraham and Isaac.  The old testatment Yahweh was a wrathful god of vengeance, but he coudl be reasoned with.  For an example, read the story of Lot at Sodom and Gomorrah.   

These FC tie-ins have been amazing. This would have been my potw if not for Welcome to Hoxford's awesomeness.