World's Finest Comics #313: Cavalieri and Woch/Alcala aren't done with the Network yet. A member, Cathode, has assembled a stylishly dressed gang of henchmen all her own and has been causing blackouts in Gotham to extort the cash-strapped city. They also delve into kidnapping, picking up an acquaintance of Bruce Wayne's and holding her for ransom. Batman rescues her, while Superman becomes a living battery to restart the power plant. The two plots converge, and Cathode attempts to steal the electrical energy from Superman, but it doesn't end well for her.
Action Comics #567: The cover by Broderick/Ordway gives is the modern version of those deceptive teaser covers of the late Silver/early Bronze Ages. In the main story, Rozakis and Schaffenberger/Hunt bring back Yellow Peri for a "humorous" story that again feels like an inventory piece existing outside of current continuity. Lois and Clark pose as a couple looking to buy a vacation home in the Poconos to expose a scam artist who happens to be Yellow Peri's ne'er-do-well husband, Alvin. He pressures her to use her magic to help him, and it of course backfires making Clark reveal his identity and propose to Lois, and Alvin reveal his true nature. Superman manages to put things right, causing everyone to lose their memories. He hides Yellow Peri's spellbook, but the implication is she will find it and return. She doesn't in the pre-Crisis universe (outside of Who's Who), and she won't appear at all until a bit part in 52.
In the second story by Wolff and Saviuk/Jensen, a blind man who has developed a means for tracking Superman becomes the target for a hood who wants to use his data to expose Superman's secret identity. Superman and the inventor thwart the criminal, and Superman introduces him to the League of Superman Watchers, which the story treats like it's a bit of Superman lore, but the internet suggests this issue is its first and only appearance.
Arion Lord of Atlantis #31: Kupperberg and Duursema bring us part 2 of "The Magic Odyssey." After Arion discovers that the crystals used to contact his father's spirit have been turned to dust somehow, he and Chian take Wyynde to Hoshan, where Chian was raised and trained, to find help from her old teacher Yoshiro in getting Arion's magic back and healing Wyynde.
But Chian's former lover Tomokata is in league with some shadowy evil and plots against Arion in an effort to get Chian back. After Tomokata tampers with Arion's gemstone, the mage appears to have regained his power, but it's all part of an evil plan.
All-Star Squadron #44: Thomas and Jones/Marcos began revealing more on the origin of Liberty Belle. She and Johnny Quick head to Philadelphia to meet Belle’s friend Tom Revere. They ambushed by Baron Blitzkrieg and his new henchman Zyklon, a speedster rivalling Johnny. Blitzkrieg kills Revere and Zyklon defeats Johnny, then they escape with the actual Liberty Bell. Liberty Belle (the superheroine) mourning Revere's death and feeling responsible, vows to give up her super-hero identity.
Detective Comics #550: Moench and Broderick/Smith deliver a sort of story that is really more about the criminal than Batman himself. It reminds me a bit of a similar sort of story Moench did in his run on Moon Knight. Joey Redwine has just killed a nun in a robbery, and as Batman chases him, he recalls the events of his abusive childhood and troubled life that led to this point. Spurning Batman's attempts to bring him in unharmed, he falls from a rooftop straight into Hell to be tormented alongside his father.
Moore and Janson concluded their Green Arrow/Black Canary story. The criminal with the bow and arrow puts a shot into Black Canary sending her to the hospital. Confusing his lucky cheap shot for skill, he sees this as confirmation that the superhero game is all kayfabe and the heroes aren't that tough. When Green Arrow answers his challenge to a one-one-one contest, he finds out how wrong he is. After taking the chump in, Ollie visited Black Canary in the hospital.
Spanner's Galaxy #6: Cuti and Mandrake conclude the series. Spanner and Gadj are rescued from their tiny prison world and taken to Kabor, only to have Spanner sentenced to wear a metallic Narconium Mask that doesn't interfere with his life other than keeping him from castling. Together with a sympathetic investigator he solves the mystery of what Baka was after all this time: There's a scientist that needed the jewel from the shek Spanner was given to power a device that could be used as a super-weapon. Baka shows up, kills the scientist and duels Spanner. Spanner wins, of course, but Baka escapes, and the law wants him to chase Baka now. This whole series seems like a misfire. None of the "done in one" issues particularly built to the ending in any way.
Sun Devils #11: The Sun Devils confront Anomie, and she reveals how collaborating with the sauroids was the only way to escape the camps her conquered people were put into. The other Sun Devils seem quick to forgive, but Rik is angry, being more personally betrayed. Draken has heard Anomie's confession over an open comm and comes to kill Rik at last, but Rik is waiting--though alone for some reason. He and Draken have an epic and brutal fight that lasts most of the issue, but final Rik is victorious. Meanwhile, a Centaurian has chosen to go against his leadership and warn Earth of impending attack.
Tales of the Legion #323: Levitz/Newell and Jurgens/Kesel sort of conclude their Trekian story. Dawnstar and Brainy are reunited, but before they can get to the bottom of the mystery of this planet, they and their allies are captured. All but Jhodan are sentenced to death while the latter seems to recount his previous heterodox beliefs, though. In the end, he makes an appeal that saves them, but the Legionnaires must leave the planet. Meanwhile, Dev-Em gets made in his undercover mission and captured by the Dark Circle.
The lack of any significant revelation in the ending of this story cements it as a lackluster installment, particularly when coupled with Dawnstar's lovestruck pacificity in regard to Jhodan that makes her seem almost mind controlled in some way. Perhaps we'll get back to this world, eventually. We are told a science mission is dispatched, and Brainiac 5 wants to be involved, but I don't know why they couldn't have just resolved it here.
V #4: Smith takes over for Infantino on pencils. No slight necessarily on any of the creators, but this is the title I find to be the biggest slog every month. Mainly, that's because it's written has if you are familiar with the characters and situations of a TV show I haven't watched in 30 years and didn't watch that closely at the time. So here we get the (I believe) former criminals turned resistance fighters Ham and Chris confronting Nathan Bates, a wealthy human collaborator, who he reveals that he's being forced to cooperate because they have his son Kyle and Elizabeth "the Star-Child," which means something to them. Meanwhile, Mike's crew gets involved with a charismatic proponent of negotiating with the Visitors (based heavily on Carl Sagan) who may be secretly plotting a more violent solution.
Wonder Woman #325: Mishkin and Heck conclude their odd, alien invasion story. Once our heroes convince the Soviet soldiers of the alien threat, the Atomic Knight and a Russian soldier search for a bomb in the Kremlin inadvertent left by the Gremlins that could destroy the Earth's atmosphere. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman, Steve Trevor, Glitch and a group of kids that got on board the alien ship work to overcome the Ytirflirks and destroy the bomb's trigger mechanism on the spacecraft.
While all this is going on, seeds of dissent are being sown on Paradise Island.
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