JLA #89

October 25, 2003

Quick Rating: Average
Title: Trial By Fire Conclusion

The Justice League makes a last stand against the incendiary monster that was once their teammate, the Martian Manhunter.

Writer: Joe Kelly
Pencils: Doug Mahnke
Inks: Tom Nguyen
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Ken Lopez
Editor: Mike Carlin
Cover Art: Doug Mahnke, Tom Nguyen and David Baron
Publisher: DC Comics

I have not been an enormous fan of Kelly’s run on this title, and this issue reflects exactly why. He often brings good ideas to the table, such as the Martian Manhunter attempting to overcome his weakness to flame only to unleash a far more dangerous threat, but then the climax seems to fall short. The ending of this storyline is similar to a hundred other “psychic battle,” “man against self” conclusions we’ve seen before.

One of the few things I did like about this storyline, the good use of Plastic Man, also fell flat in the end. In previous issues, Batman built up Plas as the only one who could stop Fernus, but in the end it’s hard to tell what he brought to the table that was really so unique. Not to say he wasn’t valuable, but there are a dozen other JLA-affiliated metas who could have done the same thing.

I liked Nguyen’s artwork back in his Superman: The Man of Steel days, and he still does a good job here, but there’s really nothing that stands out.

I’m looking forward to a few months down the road, when this title will (for at least two years according to editor Mike Carlin) switch to a rotating creative arc structure. True, books like that are often hit and miss, but somehow I prefer that to a book that’s so consistently average.

Rating: 5/10

(2010 note: As it turned out, the “rotating creative arc” didn’t do much for this book either.)

Green Lantern #170 (1990 Series)

October 25, 2003

Quick Rating: Poor
Title: Greetings From Sector 2814

Kyle Rayner sends a message home to the friends he left on Earth, forcing Jade to decide exactly what she wants to say back.

Writer: Benjamin Raab
Pencils: Chris McLoughlin
Inks: David Roach
Colors: Moose Baumann
Letters: Kurt Hathaway
Editor: Bob Schreck
Cover Art: Ariel Olivetti
Publisher: DC Comics

In one of my favorite novels, The Princess Bride, William Goldman writes with the conceit that he is abridging another writer’s work. At one point, he “abridges” an entire chapter because nothing happened in it. The chapter was summed up as, “What with one thing or another, five years passed.”

The best way to sum up Green Lantern #170 is to say, “What with one thing or another, two weeks passed.”

Absolutely nothing happens in this issue. Lianna, the Amazonian Guardian of the Universe, comes to Earth with a message from self-exiled Green Lantern Kyle Rayner. The first half of this issue is Kyle’s message, during which he recaps everything that has happened to him in the past dozen issues or so. In the second half of the book, Kyle’s friends record their messages to him, in which they recap everything that has happened to them in the past dozen issues or so. At the end of the issue, absolutely nothing has changed. The one effort at development in the last three pages just hits the readers over the head with a point that anyone who has read the last two issues knew already.

McLoughlin’s artwork is passable, but many of the characters look way too old, particularly Jade and the Flash, whose costume was also off-model. On the plus side, we do get a beautiful cover by Ariel Olivetti, which is the only new thing in the entire issue.

Perhaps this was an effort to provide a jump-on point for new readers. Every title needs that once in a while. The trick is to do that in such a way that doesn’t make regular readers feel like they’ve blown $2.25 on 22 pages of information they already knew.

Rating: 3/10

Exiles #46 (2001 Series)

May 8, 2004

Quick Rating: Good
Title: Earn Your Wings Part One

The Exiles come to the mainstream Marvel Universe for a new member and a new mission.

Writer: Tony Bedard
Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Colors: JC
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Editor: Mike Marts
Cover Art: Mizuki Sakakibara
Publisher: Marvel Comics

The Tallus sends the Exiles to a universe they’ve visited before, but this time their mission isn’t so clear and their new teammate isn’t so cooperative. Hoping to get their bearings, they make for someplace familiar – Xavier’s School For Gifted Youngsters – only to find that things there have fallen apart since they visited last.

This is actually my first issue of Exiles but aside from a slight confusion over what some of the members of the team do, I found it pretty accessible. It helps that Tony Bedard uses Beak (from Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run) as his viewpoint character for much of the issue, actually making him feel more like one of the team than the ostensive new member, an alternate-reality counterpart of Namor. He does great characterization of both our Namor and his alternate, keeping the superior smugness that has defined the character, and with the promise of the Fantastic Four guest-starring in this arc, I give bonus points for that as well.

The only real complaint, like I said, comes in figuring out the characters. Granted, this is the opinion of a newcomer to the title and hopefully the answers will come when I’ve read more, but I finished the book with no clue as to Nocturne’s powers and only a partial guess as to Mimic’s. Also, since we never actually saw Sasquatch transforming from her human form to her monster form (every transformation, even in a fight scene, happened off-panel), it was only by process of elimination that I was able to determine which one she was when the big furry gal wasn’t around.

Rooting the issue in “our” universe probably helps a lot to make this a good jumping-on point, though. Having to figure out just the characters instead of the characters and setting is a lot easier than piecing it all together.

Sakakibara’s artwork seems a good match for the title. He does solid, if not spectacular, superhero stylings and he has a good handle on some of the more grotesque characters like Beak. There is a softness to his artwork that reminds me of Josh Middleton’s Meridian run, with the faces and figures inked very lightly.

I didn’t love this issue (and I usually love Tony Bedard’s work), but I liked it. I’ve always had a thing for alternate reality stories and the concept of this book seems very much like Sliders and Quantum Leap, two TV shows I really dug, and I’ve thought about giving this title a try for a long time now. I’m glad I finally found a spot to jump on.

Rating: 7/10