Final Crisis: Revelations #3

And we're back! Hey, wasn't there just an issue of REVELATIONS last time? Well, yes, and according to the original schedule we were supposed to get FC #4, Lo3W #2, ROGUES' REVENGE #3 and SUBMIT between then and now. Oh well. There's very little to annotate this time out--this is a very straightforward/non-metatextual issue--but next week we get the Geoff Johns double-header, so I imagine I'll be linking up a storm.

Pg. 1:

"Kane, Betty" has the same hairstyle as Bette Kane, a.k.a. the Flamebird of present continuity (see, e.g., 2000's BEAST BOY #4). That character's derived from Betty Kane, the Bat-Girl who first appeared in BATMAN #139 in 1961. So this might signify something, or it might just be a little Easter egg.

The antithesis of life, in case you were wondering, is stepping on multiple kinds of MP3 players in a single panel.

Pg. 2:

"Claire Coeur" would be bad French for "clear heart."

Pp. 10-11:

I don't know of any DCU "Westbrook" (or town with a name along those lines) that's a suburb of Gotham City. And once again the Cain plot leaps forward substantially in time while the Montoya plot advances a few hours at most...

Pg. 15:

Why does Cris still think that Jake is the son of his who died?

Pp. 16-17:

This is a little splotchy, but I think I see Midnight, Bane, a Man-Bat, Mystek, a very tall Jawa, Commissioner Gordon, Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy in the crowd here. (Note: I am wrong about a couple of those. But corrections/additions are welcome.)

Pg. 18:

Hey, is that the Crimson Avenger at the left of the third panel? Or maybe it's the Black Lantern Crimson Avenger, since he apparently died in DC COMICS PRESENTS #38. Or it's the Black Lantern Jonah Hex Purple Crimson Avenger, judging by his mouth and costume. Or there's just something I'm missing, which is the likeliest scenario.

Pg. 19:

Catwoman seems to be lurking in panel 4. Cool.

Pg. 21:

The interpretation of Genesis going on here is enough of a stretch that I'd go so far as to call it a total inversion: the mark of Cain was actually an act of mercy. If you don't believe me, read the actual passage in the translation Claire is quoting. God passes sentence on Cain (to be "a fugitive and a vagabond," and "cursed from the earth"); Cain says "my punishment is greater than I can bear," because his life is now in danger from anyone who finds him; God responds by putting the mark on Cain, to protect him, stipulating that "whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold." (The Spectre is not mentioned in the original text.) Cain goes off, gets married, has a kid and starts a city. Hardly something he'd want to take vengeance for, even though there's been a perfectly good comic book about getting revenge on God before.

Pg. 22:

Okay, when exactly was Renee at the Checkmate castle after the Big Button-Pressing? And now Cris worries about Malcolm... Daria was Renee's girlfriend in the GOTHAM CENTRAL days.