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.)