Settling In Monument Point

Justice Society of America #49
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Scott Kolins

 

I was a tad dissapointed with the conclusion of this Supertown arc. We new that Jay Garrick was going to the mayor of Monument Point from the beginning/ There real only surprise here was Alan Scott’s new costume (Which I like by the way) and the return of some of the other JSA members. We still don’t know anything about the new characters like Red Beetle but she acts like an old friend when she addresses the JSA. I guess I just want to know who is a part of the team now and who is not.

Bruce Remembers

Power Girl (Volume 2) #21
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Sami Basri

 

This was awesome for anyone enjoing Generation Lost as Power Girl manages to convince Dick Grayson with the help of Bruce Wayne of Max Lord’s existence and villainy. Bruce’s presence here was just awesome and it was great to see that he remembers Lord – because if anyone could it would be Bruce. I also loved how Basri got all the pre-infinite crisis costumes correct in the flashback. I know that sounds easy, and it is, but so many other artists at DC would have gotten it wrong cause their editors suck at their jobs.

A Hell Ya Moment

Justice Society of America #48
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Scott Kolins

 

And just when things couldn’t have got any worse for the JSA and Monument Point – the calvary arrives in the form of the All-Stars and other heroes! I suppose this is how the All-Stars will reintegrate with the main book (their own book is getting canceled) and it was a great moment – a definite hell ya moment and I can’t wait to see them kick Doctor Chaos’s ass!

Loving This Book Again

Justice Society of America #47
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Scott Kolins

 

I hope that this was just a fake-out and Mr. Terrific did not let Scythe out of the cell just to learn why his IQ is lowering – cause let me tell you – that makes him selfish and not heroic in the JSA-sense of the word at all. Anyways, I really hope Manhunter is joing the JSA! It was great to see her here and with the loss of her co-feature a move to Monument Point would suit her – I mean she is a legacy hero with the Golden Age ties after all. Doctor Chaos is a great adversary for the JSA so far and after the first couple of issues of Guggenheim’s run being downright awful – I am loving this book again.

Finally The Whole Roster

Justice Society of America #46
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Mike Norton

 

After being annoyed at the first few issues of Guggenheim’s run, I am happy to say I enjoyed this issue a lot. I think because he actually included all of the current JSA as Obsidian and Mr. America finally show up. The cliffhanger is obviously not what it says it is. I highly doubt Lightning is dead, but I don’t know about the Mayor. Much improved.

Feeling Guilty For Not Killing A Baby

Justice Society of America #45
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Scott Kolins

 

We find out the terrorist who destroyed Monument Point was a baby that Jay and Alan let live during WW2 even though they were told to kill him. So Jay feels ultra guilty about all this and decides to stay and help rebuild the city. Makes sense. What doesn’t make sense is where the hell Obsidian and Mr. America are? There is no mention of where the hell these two members are…did they leave the team? That just annoys me. I also still think Guggenheim should have usex another of the billion unused DC fictional cities that already existed instead of creating this new one. Oh well….at least the concept is interesting and I look forward to see where it goes.

Welcome To Monument Point

Justice Society of America #44
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Scott Kolins

 

This issue begins Marc Guggenheim’s run on JSA, I liked his short run of Flash: Fastest Man Alive so I was looking forward to this. I am unsure how I feel about it yet. I find it kind of odd that Mr. America, Obsidian, and Doctor Mid-nite are all missing from the JSA roster as they fight this new terrorist in the city of Monument Point. I also think it’s kind of dumb that they aren’t just using a pre-existing unused DC city like Midway City or Vanity or all the others. I thought it was annoying that Jay Garrick called Barry Allen the “real” flash. But there are some good things about the issue, Kolins’s art fits the tone of the book wonderfully and I am glad that he is on board. The idea of the JSA running a city is interesting and Mr. Terrific losing his IQ slowly is another interesting development. I guess we will see where this goes.

The Dark Side Of The Moon

Justice Society of America #43
Written by James Robinson
Art by Jesus Merino

 

This epilogue to the JLA/JSA crossover was pretty damn amazing for a filler epilogue. It is basically a meeting between Obsidian and Alan Scott as they discuss the new world the Statheart is building on the darkside of the moon and how it has become a haven for magical beings of the DC Universe. We get so many obscure name-drops here and one thing I love about Robinson is how he not only brings in obscure old silver age characters but also modern ones too. He respects the entire DC Universe and not just pre-1984 characters like most of the DCU writers now-and-days. Heck we even learn the Monolith is on the moon now. The moments between Alan and Obsidian are great – I loved how Alan asked about Todd’s boyfriend and how happy he is they are still together. I finally understand why Jade and Obsidian can not be near each other and we learn about possible consequences of it – I love Merino’s huge spreads showing these possible events. This city on the moon will be interesting to explore in the future.

Much Better Than The Lightning Saga

Justice League of America #48
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley
Co-Feature by Robinson
Art by Pow Rodrix

 

This is the conclusion of the JLA/JSA crossover that began here and continued here, here, and here. I can’t say I was disappointed with the end of this per say because it was such an epic story. The perfect type of no-holds-barred story that should make an JLA/JSA crossover (And a hell of a lot better then the freaking Lightning Saga) but it left me a little confused as to how Jade fixed everything and why Obsidian and Jade can’t be near eachother anymore. But anyways, I loved every page and loved the moment where the League comes together and realizes they truly are the Justice League now and nothing can stop them. Jesse Quick officially joins here but Jade does not. I suppose she will  next issue. And the back-up was okay too.

The Greatest Green Lantern Working With The League Again

Justice Society of America #42
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley

 

This is part 4 of the JLA/JSA crossover that began here and continued here and here. Action-packed it wasn’t filled with as much plot and great moments as the previous parts – I found that to be a little disappointing but Robinson is still whipping up a fun-filled adventure here and I can’t wait to see how it concludes. Kyle would never be so eager to kill Alan Scott- even if the Guardians thought it was for the best.

Order And Chaos

Justice League of America #47
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley
Co-Feature by Robinson
Art by Pow Rodix

 

This is part 3 of the JLA/JSA crossover that began here and continued here. Oh hell ya Kyle Rayner shows up here! It is great to see him in a JLA book again and they even use his old Green Lantern Logo text! That brought joy to my fanboy heart. As for the entire issue, I felt like the plot didn’t move as quick as it could have and we are at a kind of stand still. I wonder why Doctor Fate is the one holding the JSAers hostage and not the starheart? The narraration boxes also got kind of annoying in this issue where they haven’t bothered me the last few. Maybe Robinson is overdoing them a bit. This story is still as epic and fun as a JLA book should be though and I can’t wait for the next chapter. The back-up actually ties into the main story as now that Red Tornado has been remade nearly indestructibel by Cyborg, he is effected by the starheart. (I mean he is an elemental of the Wind – of course he would be effected, I am surprised I didn’t think of that before)

The Epic Continues

Justice Society of America #41
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley

 

This is part 2 of the JLA/JSA crossover that began here. Part 2 of this epic was just as awesome as the first. Once again Robinson utilizes the DC Universe to the fullest by bringing in obscure characters and such who would have been effected by the starheart. This is a lot of fun and I am having a blast reading it. Bagley’s art is gorgous, it is definitely the best work he has done at DC. I liked how Robinson even had the all-stars appeared because it was beginning to look like the main group never checked up on the all-star group. And the little tidbits such as a meta-ranking scale Mr. Terrific refers to called the “Hoshi scale”. Probably named after Doctor Light. Brilliant. The only thing I thought was strange was the flirtation between Lightning and Mr. America. Isn’t Lightning underage? Weird. It was also great to see Miss Martian and I loved how scary she was in her white Martain form. I can’t wait for the next part!

Shield 9 and 10

The Shield #9
Written by Eric Trautmann
Art by Marco Rudy
Co-Feature by Brandon Jerwa
Art by Michael Avon Oeming

The Shield teams up with the JSA in this issue as Baron Gestapo and new villain Dragonfly attack Happy Harbor. Having him team up with the JSA seems so obvious I am surprised I never thought about it. This was pretty good and it makes me sad the book is ending. I could see The Shield as a member of the JSA. The Fox gets his superhero name in the back-up but decides to give up being Tokyo’s hero only to find his girlfriend murdered. It was rushed but this back-up is still very strong, especially when compared to the previous Inferno back-up.

The Shield #10
Written by Eric Trautmann
Art by Marco Rudy
Co-Feature by Brandon Jerwa
Art by Michael Avon Oeming

Baron Gestapo is defeated along with Dragonfly in the final issue of this series. It is too bad that the Mighty Crusaders isn’t going to be an ongoing because I think it would be more successful then these solo books. I hope the Shield sticks around in the DCU as it has been fun following his adventures. In the Fox back-up the Dragon’s Head is defeated and the mentor is revealed as a villain, it looks like the Fox will be returning to America after this – perhaps as a Mighty Crusader. This was a great back-up.

Happy Ending

Justice Society of America #40
Written by Bill Willingham
Art by Jesus Merino

 

The timeline is restored in this uplifitng issue. Willingham has Mr. Terrific warn the team of the coming attack by the fourth Reich and Obsidian is restored. I loved the moment where he jokes that he is “cured” of being gay to his Dad and the reaction on his Dad’s face – priceless! I gotta hand it to Merino for that use of facial expressions. I like how everything was explained and now the timeline has Obsidian involved in fight with Mordru and we are finally brought to the present time and the start of the JLA/JSA crossover. This was great stuff and I hope Willingham returns as writer after the crossover because his run has been excellent so far. I loved the moment where Mr. Terrific gives the little girl the college fund! And it looks like he is now dating her mom.

This Is The Justice League I Have Been Waiting For!

Justice League of America #46
Written by James Robinson
Art by Mark Bagley
Co-Feature by Robinson
Art by Pow Rodrix

 

Before I get into the actual meat of the issue, I have to start off by saying I love how Robinson has Jade not knowing who Mr. America is…she calls him Patriot Hero Guy. If it was Meltzer or some other bad writer writing this, Jade would know who he was and his real name. Robinson understands that not all the heroes have to know each other and Jade was certainly dead when Mr. America debuted. Love it! And I love Robinson’s use of continuity pulling in obscure characters left and right. When you are playing in a sandbox like the DCU there is no reason NOT to do what Robinson is doing. So many writers do not get that. And wow was this an amazing issue! Action-packed and globe spanning – this reminds me of of Morrison’s JLA in so many ways. This is the League I have been waiting for since this series launched. I couldn’t be more impressed. Not only is it filled to the brim with action but Robinson gives personal moments to each character and really shows their different personalities and utilizes their different powers. Each of the Leaguers had shining moments I can’t really say what was my favorite. What a great start to this JLA/JSA crossover! The Cyborg and Red Tornado back-up was even good and I find the Red Tornado to be a total bore-fest!

All Is Well

Power Girl (Volume 2) #13
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Sami Basri

 

Well I have to say that as I suspected, the book still maintains good quality with Winick coming on. He knows how to write humor and balance it with action – he always has. He can be hit or miss – but he can do that and I have no idea why some people are so down on him as a writer. Basri’s art is also perfect for Power Girl – it is different from Connor but that doesn’t mean it is bad. This book recaps Maxwell Lord’s return and then wiping away the memory of his existence. It is written in such a way that it also recaps Power Girl’s history – I am not sure if the mind wipe worked on her – I think it did as she does forget the mission to find Lord. I think Lord himself is responsible for her company going bankrupt all of a sudden somehow. I was glad to see Terra wasn’t dropped from the book too. All is well for this series.

Rest In Peace Damage

JSA All-Stars #7
Written by Matthew Sturges
Art by Freddie Williams II
Co-Feature by Jen Van Meter
Art by Travis Moore

 

The main story focuses on Judomaster – a character who really hasn’t had a lot of focus. She is dealing with the death of Damage during Blackest Night – I liked it although it didn’t seem to be that different from the letter sent from beyond the grave stories told in comics past. It was great to see former Titans at Damage’s funeral – because DC seems to have forgotten that Damage was also a Titans at one point. I loved seeing Argent too! The Liberty Belle and Hourman back-up goes along with its Indiana Jones like themes – pretty good stuff.