Justice Society 50-54

Justice Society of America #50
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Tom Derenick, Howard Chaykin, George Perez, Freddie Williams II, and Scott Koblish

So Martha Kent designed the Superman costume? I am pretty sure that flys in the face of continuity. Also I am pretty sure Alan Scott was in retirement when Hal got the ring right? Does DC not have editors? That being said it is always cool to see how the modern heroes knew about the Justice Society growing up which is what the first part of this anniversary issue focuses on. The secon story has something to do with Per Degaton traveling between universes. The third is the JSA vs. the House on Un-American Activities in the fifties being retold, and then finally the modern day JSA sets up shop in Monument Point just as Jay Garrick is sworn in as mayor. I really liked how Guggenheim threaded all of these stories together and it all lead up to certain events in the modern story. This issue mattered and that is so important in serial storytelling.

Justice Society of America #51
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Tom Derenick

At one point in this issue it says Jay Garrick is the first superhero to be elected to office. That is not true I know at least Green Arrow became mayor of Star City but maybe the person didn’t know. Anyways Lightning makes it out of the after life okay and alive and there is a touching moment between her and Doctor Fate. Also, Jay Garrick kicks into gear as the Mayor of Monument Point and we get hints that there is a strange history behind the city that I am excited to find out about. Derenick draws the shit out of this book and does a wonderful job. I sometimes feel his facial expressinos always seem menacing though when the story doesn’t call for it.

Justice Society of America #52
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Tom Derenick

This was another good issue. Mr. Terrific finds out the man who took away his intelligence is a deranged original Mr. Terrific fan kind of like the same guys who complain whenever a hero is replaced meanwhile the JSA and the Challengers of the Unknown go deep underground Monument Point to learn about its ancient mysteries. I enjoyed it.

 

 

Justice Society of America #53
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Jerry Ordway

Wow Jerry Ordway sure is a breath of fresh air. Why can’t he be the book’s regular artist? He is perfect for the JSA and while I have liked what Derenick has done lately he really only draws menacing facial expressions even on the good guys. This was a fun issue where the JSA accidentally release a God who draws his power from metahumans. I can’t believe this is the penultimate issue of this series though.

 

Justice Society of America #54
Written by Marc Guggenheim
Art by Jerry Ordway

 

Damn…just damn. This was clearly not Guggenheim’s plan to have a rushed ending to this arc and have Alan Scott sacrifice his life so quickly and without much fanfare. The fact of the matter is that the true JSA Villain is Dan fucking Didio who has no respect for the DC Universe and has publicly complained about the JSA “being old” in interviews. He is responsible for the awful New 52 and I am so glad the real JSA will be coming back soon. I wonder how much will remain in continuity but I have to say Guggenheim’s run could have been great but it was cut off too soon.

Green Arrow 11-15

Green Arrow (Volume 5) #11
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Diogenes Neves and Vincent Cifuentes

This issue goes by so fast and not much of interest even happens. I was really dissatisfied with it. Krul is so good on Teen Titans but this issue was a low point for him.

Green Arrow (Volume 5) #12
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Diogenes Neves

The only thing of any consequence in this issue is that we find out Galahad is really just a father who had a psychotic break. Otherwise it is just Green Arrow watching the events of the end of Brightest Day. It is filler material again. Swamp Thing barely makes an appearance despite the cover. Now that the Brightest Day crossover is over I hope this book improves.

 

Green Arrow (Volume 5) #13
Written by James Patrick
Art by Austin Padilla

Now that is more like it. This new creative team had a stellar debut with Green Arrow fighting a right wing Christian terrorist by the name of Rev. Billy Miggs. I love how much Ollie hates this guy. The art was good too.

Green Arrow (Volume 5) #14
Written by James Patrick
Art by Austin Padilla

Green Arrow continues to fight Rev. Billy Miggs who is shown to be way creepier than I thought when he murders a person he is baptizing in front of his congregation. It is quite disturbing and a great new villain for Green Arrow. I also enjoyed Ollie and Bruce’s moments here and how the artist chooses to keep Batman in the shadows. This is a great arc fro this series to end on.

 

Green Arrow (Volume 5) #15
Written by James Patrick
Art by Austin Padilla

This is the final issue of Green Arrow before the New 52 unnecessary reboot. Within its pages, Ollie defeats Rev. Miggs with the help of the army and some trick arrows. It was enjoyable but nothing to get too excited about.

 

 

 

Let’s Move On

Green Arrow (Volume 5) #10
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Diogenes Neves

 

We learn the truth about Galahad in this issue and it is interesting but I am not really interested in this forest anymore and will be glad when this series moves past this. Whatever happened to the Black Arrow plotline Krul talked about in interviews by the way? Not a bad issue, I am just ready to move on from this.

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.

Forest Corrupted

Green Arrow (Volume 5) #9
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Diogenes Neves

 

This was a so-so issue as the forest gets corrupted by Etrigan and attacks everyone and some big bugs show up. I feel like not much really happened though and this plot is going a tad slow.

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!

Gathering Shadow

Justice League of America #54
Written by James Robinson
Art by Brett Booth

 

This was a fantastic issue as Eclipso gathers shadow-based characters for some kind of plan. It even goes back and looks at the history of Eclipso which even I needed some refreshing on. Once again Robinson really makes the DC Universe seem like a vast wonderland as he pulls characters from its history – both obscure and famous. There were some more shadow villains I could think of – such as Shadow-of-War but hey he picked the ones he did for a reason I am sure. Booth’s art is going to take some getting used to as some parts of this issue seemed too much like Ed Benes (That is not a good thing) and the beginning two pages make no sense in terms of who was in the League at the same time I mean why are Vibe and Red Arrow shown to be in the team together at the same time!

Protection

Green Arrow (Volume 5) #8
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Diogenes Neves

 

This issue’s focus is on the forest as we learn people from all over the DCU have come to Star City to figure out why the hell this magical forest is around. I think this is the first time we really see that the forest is protecting Green Arrow – letting him in while keeping others out. Hmmm? Why is this? I feel like the mystery is going on a little longer then I would have hoped as we don’t really find out much more this issue but the writing and art is still top notch so I enjoyed it.

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.

Titans Pariah

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #89
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Nicola Scott

 

Robin joins the Titans and right from the get-go we can see he is not Tim Drake. He seriously screws up their mission in this issue because of his impulsiveness and not listening to orders even I was pissed at him. And I have started to like Damian too! That being said, I don’t know if Krul has Damian’s voice down just yet. There is something about the way he talks that seems different then usual. I don’t know. I still like the issue and Scott’s art is great and the team is awesome – this is the best this book has been in years!

The Teen Titans Are Back!

Teen Titans (Volume 3) #88
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Nicola Scott

 

Wow! I had high hopes for Krul and Scott taking over this book and returning to its former glory. They exceeded my hopes in one issue! I loved every moment of this issue as Krul demonstrated with each and every character that he understands them and at the same times introduced new storylines in their lives. From Superboy and Wonder Girl’s relationship to Beast Boy and Raven’s to Ravager’s search for her mother to Kid Flash’s retention of things learned in the future I can’t wait to read more issue of this book. Scott’s art is beautiful to look at and she knows how to tell a story perfectly. The Teen Titans are back! Heck I am even excited to see Damian on the team! Not only does Krul start a new exciting run, he doesn’t ignore Henderson’s run either and even tells us that Aquagirl and Bombshell are alive and well. Fantastic start for this new creative team!

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.

Superman Batman 75 and 76

Superman/Batman #75
Written by Paul Levitz
Art by Jerry Ordway

 

The anniversary issue has a bunch of tiny back-up features that I won’t cover here cause most are not in continuity but the main story was an epilogue to Levitz’s previous arc as a future Lexor citizen comes back in time to kill Superman and the Legion and Batman team up to stop them. It was good and Ordway’s art was great but nothing to get too excited about. I am kinda sick of the same four Legionnaires always being used – let’s mix it up a bit Levitz.

Superman/Batman #76
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Marco Rudy

Now this was great! We finally get to see Superman’s reaction to Batman’s “death” during Final Crisis and it was a really great. Winik could have made this cliche and dumb as hell (imagine if this was written by Meltzer) but instead we get a look at how Superman views death and the fate of his friends as well as some awesome moments between him and Wonder Woman. I loved it!

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.