Book Review: Dark Justice - Worlds Without a Justice League

The Justice League are dead. Or are they? During an epic battle against Pariah and his Dark Army, Earth's defenders sacrificed themselves to save the Multiverse. The team seemed dead to their world, but Pariah, needing power to fuel his plans, imprisoned the League members on custom-made worlds using his growing powers. Each world is tailored to the innermost desires of the Justice League. What Pariah intends to do with these worlds is a mystery...

Crafted by an all-star creative team including Tom King, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Tini Howard, Simon Spurrier, Dan Jurgens, and many more, Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League directly ties into the event Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, giving readers a look at what happened to the legendary heroes after the shocking events of Justice League #75. It collects the five Dark Crisis: Worlds Without a Justice League one-shots.

Book Review: Justice League vs. the Legion of Super-Heroes

One thousand years in the future, a Legion of Super-Heroes comes together to dedicate their lives to recapturing the great age of heroes of the 21st century. When the heroes discover that reality is falling to a great darkness in both times simultaneously, the Justice League and the Legion of Super-Heroes must team up to stop it all.

Soon, the Justice League are trapped in the 31st century, and the looming terror of the Great Darkness hovers over both time periods simultaneously. Even as the great heroes of the 21st century get to experience the fantastic far-flung future, the mysteries behind the Gold Lantern and the Great Darkness threaten all of existence. What is the secret behind the Great Darkness? And will the greatest heroes of two ages be able to stop it before it's too late?

Two of DC’s top super-teams clash, as threads from legendary writer Brian Michael Bendis’ runs on Legion of Super-Heroes and Justice League collide in a story with both the present and the future at risk! Released December 2022, this collects Justice League vs. Legion of Super-Heroes #1-6.

Flashpoint #5 (***spoilers***)

Well, here it is...my final monthly comic book. It is Flashpoint #5 (of 5), the last issue of the big summer event mini series and the stepping stone to the new relaunch of DC Comics (which began this week with Justice League #1).

Be warned: this post will have spoilers galore for the final issue as well as major personal opinion. Take it all with a grain of salt.

Flashpoint #5 (of 5)

So, a quick recap of how we got here. At the end of Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry Allen (the Flash) was killed saving the multiverse. Universes merged to a single continuity. That was 1986. At the end of Final Crisis, Barry returned to life and the universe. That was 2008. At the end of Brightest Day, his old foe Eoward Thawne (Professor Zoom) was brought back to life. That was 2011. Zoom vowed to destroy his old foe and went back in time to kill Barry's mother. We saw this in the most recent Flash title and the Flashpoint: Reverse Flash one-shot.

Comic Books of the Week (8/17/11)

As I get closer and closer to my final comic book buying day (August 31st), I am finding every book I read from DC is less and less enjoyable. I actually knocked through all of my books from today while on the treadmill. Here's the skinny:

Flashpoint: Abin Sur #3 (of 3) - this final issue had two artists and it showed. The beginning and end pages were not too bad but the middle ones were horrendous. This mini was fair at best with the final pages possibly setting up a key element for the final issue of Flashpoint and the restart of the new DCU for September.

Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #3 (of 3) - this one ended pretty much as I expected - Cyborg owns Heat Wave, there is a lot of gratuitous violence and the ending implies that Heat Wave gets what he deserves. Sad. At the very least this issue spotlighted Cyborg, certainly showing some elements that will likely get some use when the new DCU launches with him as a founder of the Justice League. Beyond that, this mini was pretty skippable too.

Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #3 (of 3) - I had a few problems with this final issue. First, it is practically half a retread of last week's Aquaman final issue. Yes, we get to see the motivation of the traitors revealed but that was about it. Next, it ruined the final issue of Lois Lane and the Resistance next week. Thanks a lot, Dan Abnett. Finally, for a mini that was supposed to also feature some Furies, we hardly got to see them more than just foot-soldiers at best. Wasted potential.

Justice League of America #60 - the final issue of Robinson's run and we know already that the team is disbanding. Funny, but a lot of the issue is about justifying why each of the team members is leaving. The rest of some Reader's Digest recaps of grand adventures of the team that never got to be fully written. Were these plots Robinson had planned out for the next few years? If so, sad to see they never happened. Most likely he knew the books were all coming to an end with relaunch and decided to blow out as many ideas as he could - knowing most would not fit/apply in the new revised continuity. So much lost potential here. Robinson clearly loves these characters though and wanted some happy endings (I won't run them). Funny but the final two page conversation between Dick and Donna seemed very much like a commentary on the relaunch. "Do you think they'll remember us?" "I want them to forget. Me anyway. I want the world to forget I ever existed."

One more full week left to go, then the final week with one title.

Comic Books of the Week (7/20/11)

Flashpoint: Legion of Doom #2 (of 3) - man, this is one seriously violent book. Yes, I know, it is about desperate criminals trying to escape a prison but wow. And I guess when you know your "world" is ending in another month it doesn't matter how many deaths you rack up either. I was kind of disappointed with the fates of Atom and Animal Man to boot. Ah well. I will likely only get the final issue for completeness sake.

Flashpoint: Wonder Woman and the Furies #2 (of 3) - more key story about the arrangement between Diana and Aquaman, and how everything went so horribly wrong. We get another hint that this war was not of their making - someone was pulling the strings but who? That mystery is enough to keep me coming back for the final month.

Justice League of America #59 - wow, seven of twenty pages spent on the musings of a mad-villain? Seriously? Clearly the passion of the story left James Robinson as the end of the road was coming up fast. His League's run ends next issue. This issue felt like a huge compromise - finish the arc asap so you can do a quieter final issue. I'm not that thrilled.

Legion of Super-Heroes #15 - the same can be said here. There is a lot in this issue, packed in, but it is done so at the sacrifice of some decent explanations. The Levitz Legion run of the past spent time developing and exploring character depths. I guess it all had to be rushed through so the arc could finish next month to clear the way for September. And DC wonders why a lot of fans were giving up on July and August issues after word of the September relaunch came out. It all seems kind of for naught.

Coming this weekend - my thoughts about "the New 52" based on the free sampler given out at the comic shops this week.

Comic Books of the Week (6/22/11)

Green Arrow #13 - looks like we get a fill-in arc before the relaunch. The art by Agustin Padilla was pretty good - I liked it a lot. The story by James Patrick was alright. I'm not that impressed with Reverend Miggs as a villain, even if he seems to be well connected.

Justice League of America #58 - a sort of disjointed read by Robinson. The art by Sampere and Sepulveda was pretty good. Of course, everyone on the Internet is buzzing about the last page of the issue and what Eclipso does to one of the team. Now, do I think this is permanent? With the relaunch coming in a couple months that resets a lot of things, does it really matter? Sigh.

Brightest Day Aftermath: the Search for Swamp Thing #1 (of 3) - I pre-ordered this issue as it followed Brightest Day, not knowing who was being searched for. I was half-tempted not to pick it up since I am not a Swamp Thing or John Constantine fan. But, I did any way and it wasn't that bad. I liked the interplay with Batman and Zatanna. We'll see if I get the last two issue or not. I have no plans to follow the new Swamp Thing and Justice League Dark books after the relaunch.

John Byrne's Next Men #7 (37) - speaking of disjointed story telling, John Byrne was all over the map on this issue. I know he's trying to move the story along here but that was just too much jumping around for my taste. This was one book that I was going to keep me coming back to the comic shops after September (when I drop most if not all DC books) but now I'm not sure. I might skip the monthly and just wait for the trade paperbacks at this point. It might read a lot better in larger chunks.

Comic Books of the Week (5/18/11)

Booster Gold #44 - Booster is the only mainline book that is crossing over with Flashpoint, which makes sense since he is a time traveller. This issue begins that arc. We get a little taste of the Flashpoint world, including the changes to Coast City and the government's secret weapon (no spoiler here!). Good stuff. It also marks the return of Dan Jurgens to the writing and pencilling on the book. I am very pleased for that!

Justice League of America #57 - "the Rise of Eclipso" storyline continues. There are nice references to what's going on in JSA as well as the Brightest Day event, but once again the issue's main focus is with Eclipso. The JLA seems to be guest stars in their own title. Hopefully Robinson can resolve that quickly. More kudos to Booth and Rapmund - their art on this issue is fantastic.

Legion of Super-Heroes #13 - the Legion of Super-Villains arc continues nicely. Paul Levitz is the master at juggling huge casts and allowing each character shown to have their moments. My only complaint is the issues go by so quickly. This is a book that could use extra pages each month. DC needs to dump those previews and fold those pages back into the main book for story.

Teen Titans #95 - continuing to enjoy Krul's arc here. It has a nice epic feel with a slow build and lots of character moments. That last page was surprising. "Behold, Rankor restored!" indeed. Not sure how this one is going to end but it will be a big fight.

Comic Books of the Week (4/27/11)

Brightest Day #24 (of 24) - the final issue where all things are answered, sort of. After last issues surprising reveal of Swamp Thing returning to the DCU proper, this issue completes the saga (for now) of the white lantern. It also opens up plotlines for upcoming Aquaman, Firestorm, and Hawkman series - plus the upcoming Search For Swamp Thing mini. I have to say that overall I enjoyed this mini, mostly because it really helped return so many great characters back into the spotlight - a spotlight that should continue in the next year. For that, this mini worked for me.

Justice League: Generation Lost #24 (of 24)- again, another final issue. This one sort of ended as I expected - as a lead-in to a new Justice League International series. But the overall story was long, drawn out, and in the end not quite so satisfying. In hindsight, this is probably one I could have skipped entirely and been perfectly fine with doing so. Ah well.

Justice Society of America #50 - the anniversary was a mixed bag. I loved the first 10 pages because of George Perez' art. The next six pages is sort of a prelude to the later part of the issue - kind of dull and the art by Freddie Williams II not so appealing (hard to follow Perez). The next 10 pages didn't give me anything new story-wise (seen it all before) and the Howard Chaykin art was pretty uneven. The final 20 pages read like a regular issue of the book - with Tom Derenick art which was good. The story deals with Jay Garrick becoming mayor of Monument Point, the return of Degaton, and a mystery involving Jessie Quick that will be the focus of future issues I am sure. So, overall, it was only 50% for me.

the Flash #11 - "the Road to Flashpoint" continues - with an intervention? Seriously? For a book about speedsters, this issue was sort of a drag. I get that there needed to be some interaction between Barry and his supporting cast (Iris, Jay, Wally and Bart) but this wasn't the best way to do it. I was bored. The only saving parts were the stuff with Hot Pursuit and the Reverse Flash.

Comic Books of the Week (4/20/11) part 2

Round two for the week - this time all super-team titles...

Justice League of America #56 - I liked seeing St. Walker and the reserve Leaguers brought in on the fight with Eclipso. Unfortunately I think the team is seriously out-numbered and out-gunned in this battle. And that ending does not look too promising for them. I'm very curious how Robinson is going to spin this one around. The artwork by Booth and Ramund was very good though. I hope they stick round.

Teen Titans #94 - the teens follow the trail of the kidnapped Wonder Girl, but it doesn't go so smoothly. This issue sort of seemed like it was stuck in a slow gear. I know there was some character development going on but I don't feel the story progressed far enough. I'm hoping for better movement in the next issue.

Legion of Super-Heroes #12 - lots of jumping around in this issue, which I understand is necessary for such a large cast. But, the negative is we only get a page or two in each area before the next jump. This issue felt kind of short too. I like having the letter columns back but I think those six pages of previews need to be cut out and given back to the titles for story. Just saying.

Comic Books of the Week (4/13/11) - part 1

A big pile of books this week (eight) so I thought I'd review them in pairs. Let's get to the first two:

Booster Gold #43 - the final issue by Giffen and DeMatteis. I must admit I really liked this one, mostly because of the big part played by the Legion of Super-Heroes. It was great to see the old gang in action, even if they were played up as a little more sillier than I like. And, on the last page, the story gets a little meta (with Booster remarking on the replacement writer that came on to his "book"). I guess that was a statement to all the fans (some like me) who didn't like this run as much as what Dan Jurgens had done before.

Justice League: Generation Lost #23 (of 24) - Max goes all out to find Wonder Woman, and his ultimate weapon is revealed. OMAC Prime shares a lot of skills with another JLA-machine-foe, but that's to be expected. Professor Ivo is Max's right hand tech guy after all. The League is going to have a serious battle on their hands in the final issue of this max-series.

Comic Books of the Week (4/6/11)

Brightest Day #23 (of 24) - damn! Johns has kicked the story into overdrive with this issue. The revelation of the Dark Avatar and the ultimate savior has rocked the Internet this week - some people loving it, some hating it. Put me in the loving it category. No spoilers from me on this one - go read it yourself, fans! As for the art - amazing. That cover Gary Frank and Rod Reis was outstanding, and inside the art Reis and Prado was equally stunning. Those double-page spreads were very nice. I am so looking forward to the finale in less than two weeks - and the follow up Brightest Day: In Search of... mini (again, shortening that title to not reveal the spoilers).

Justice League of America, 80-Page Giant 2011 - ugh. Man, I should have saved the $5.99 and skipped this one. I had a feeling it would be just so-so and I was right. The premise: the JLA goes to Hell - with a number of guest stars. It is really hard to fit this given who is involved. Wonder Woman is in her new costume, so it it taking place now. If so, why are some of these other folks there? Too many questions to throw the reader out of the story. The pairings are odd too - some did not work for me at all. I just didn't feel vested in the outcome. And the art was uneven. Bleech.

JSA All-Stars #17 - who is the Prince? Who is Regal? Who is Dr. Hate? Why does this feel like their story with the JSA just taking the backseat? Not a fan of "this reality you know is wrong" tales, especially when we know it will have zero effect in the end. Sort of a wasted exercise. Maybe it is for the best that this title is getting tanked. Get the heroes of this book back to the main JSA title and salvage them both. Right now, both are just limping along badly.

Secret Six #32 - thank you, Gail Simone, for showing us how a trip to Hell should be done. She and J. Calafiore deliver an awesome middle-of-the-arc chapter and give us a lot to think about for the future of this cast of characters. The mix of dialogue, action and weirdness are a perfect balance. Great issue, as always.

Comic Books of the Week (3/23/11)

Green Lantern #64 - the "War of the Green Lanterns" arc kicks in with this issue and I have to say I'm impressed with this opening chapter. Everything about it worked for me. Is that enough to get me to follow the story into the other two GL titles? Probably not. Still, this should prove to be epic which is what I've come to expect from Geoff Johns on this title.

Justice League of America #55 - the "Reign of Doomsday" arc crosses into this book for an issue, taking away time from the Eclipso arc. Booo! I could have done without the Doomsday stuff. I have no plans to follow the story in the other titles I don't get. It was a distraction for me. Still the art by Booth and Rapmund was very nice. Also glad to see what has been happening over in JSA is being acknowledged here.

Justice League: Generation Lost #22 (of 24) - and the crossing over continues. Now we get stuff from Wonder Woman's title. Yawn. Two more issues and this mini will be over. I for one am glad. While it has its moments, I found that for the most part it has been pretty uneven. And I was always a fan of the JLI. Oh well. Lesson learned.

Legion of Super-Heroes #11 - this book is on fire (and I'm not talking about Sun Emperor here)! Levitz and his art team are reminding me why I loved the Legion so much in the 70's and 80's. This book is back to its former glory and fans should be checking it out if they are not. Turst me, you won't be disappointed. This issues focus on Timber Wolf was nice.

Comic Books of the Week (3/9/2011)

Batman: the Brave and the Bold #5 - the Caped Crusader teams up with the abrasive Green Lantern Guy Gardner to battle an army of Manhunters. The story also features another surprise guest-star. It was an okay issue with a good plot and decent art.

Birds of Prey #10 - "the Death of Oracle" story line concludes. The plot was interesting enough with some decent character moments, particularly for the Huntress and the Calculator. Gail Simone's writing is solid as always. I wasn't as thrilled with the art though. I understand a new regular artist is coming on board soon, so I hope that helps elevate the series for me. So glad to see the letter column back in this book.

Booster Gold #42 - yawn. Wake me up when Dan Jurgens gets back to this book. I have little interest in this final arc by Giffen and DeMatteis. Best part for me was the return of the letter column in this book as well.

Justice League Generation Lost #21 (of 24) - the ramifications of the end of last issue are felt this time, showing us how the various cast members deal with grief. The ending wasn't a surprise for me at all - I knew things would be rectified soon enough. Now let's get to taking out Max Lord, please.

JSA All-Stars #16 - the end of the Puzzlemen arc. It all felt a little too "convenient" how everything came together for a quick defeat after such a big build-up. I was a little disappointed. Since this is a "dead book walking" with only two more issue left until cancellation, I'm not expecting a lot before the final curtain. I do hope some of these characters fold back into the main JSA title though.

Legion of Super-Villains one-shot - the greatest villains of the 31st Century get the spotlight in this one. I always enjoy getting into the motivations of the super-villains; it gives them depth and makes you appreciate their roles more. The writing and art are outstanding, what I come to expect from a Legion title. This is a must-read for anyone who is following the current Legion series as this is just the beginning of what looks to be an incredible story arc (the places the LSV go to gain power will show you this is truly a huge DCU event for their time period).

Wonder Girl one-shot - this was actually from January. I didn't pick it up then but read recently how the issue introduced Solstice, a new heroine that would be joining the Teen Titans. For that reason, I went back and grabbed this one. I found it to be an okay intro - a shame Wonder Girl had to share her spotlight with a new character though. And the threat seemed to just be an opening volley to something bigger. I guess we'll learn more about all this in Teen Titans soon enough.

Comic Books of the Week (2/23/11)

Green Arrow #9 - the mystery of the forest continues with an all-out battle with the Demon. Why the Phantom Stranger dropped for four panels and left I don't know. The rest of the issue was okay, even though it was all just a battle. Reminds me of when we used to play Champions (a majority of the game session was taken up by combat that in real life would have lasted about a minute or two tops).

Justice League: Generation Lost #20 (of 24) - Winick gives us another bit of past tweaking by shuffling up and filling in some holes on Max Lord's history. Not much else happened after the end of last issue - when Blue Beetle II was shot by Lord, just like his predecessor. Did history repeat itself? We'll have to see. I am looking forward to this mini ending as it has been a little uneven.

Justice Society of America #48 - my dislike of this storyline and Guggenheim's writing grows. I think issue 50 might be my jumping off point. I love the team but I hate what he is doing to them. This title deserves to be great. It is far from it.

Legion of Super-Heroes #10 - while the elected team leader is away, the deputy leader is in charge. And boy does Brainiac 5 get things done. Clearly he knows how to efficiently dispatch the team and get things under control. Will they stay that way? Nice to see Yera again. I had almost forgotten about her. This book is really a gem and I am glad it is back in great style.

Teen Titans #92 - since I didn't pick up the crossover issue with Red Robin I was a little out of sorts. Krul caught me up well enough. Good to see Tim Drake back with the gang but I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Having Damian on the team was a wildcard, one I didn't know well. With him out and Tim in (? not clear on that.) is this book more of the same old/same old? I hope it doesn't get that way. At least Krul is tying up some loose ends from former runs (dealing with the death of Marvin and the missing Kid Eternity). Points for that.

Showcase Presents: Justice League of America volume 5 - classic b/w reprints of the team from 1970 to 1973. This was the era I discovered the JLA. The first issue reprinted (#84) was the first one I ever remember owning as a kid. The run goes sequentially all the way through issues 105 and 106, when Elongated Man and Red Tornado join the League respectively. Dick Dillin's art evolves nicely over these issues - you can see the progression of his style. He was the League artist for me as a kid. Hopefully they can put out one more volume in this line (taking us to the late 70's).

Comic Books of the Week (2/16/11)

Due to a shortage in shipping to my local comic shop, no Legion of Super-Heroes or Doom Patrol this week. Hopefully next week. Meanwhile, on to the books that did arrive:

Brightest Day #20 (of 24) - the "Aquawar" continues here with a full issue focusing on Aquaman and his cast. The art and story worked great here, setting up clearly some plot threads for after this mini is over. Aquaman has benefitted greatly from these spotlights. I would love to see this creative team continue with the character in an ongoing series.

Booster Gold #41 - it was announced last week that Dan Jurgens is returning to do writing and art with issue 44. I can't wait! Given that, it feels like Giffen and DeMatteis are phoning it in on this final arc. The whole Dr. Nishtikeit stuff felt rushed and the whole imprisoned in the 25th century seems very contrived. Wake me up when 44 gets here.

Green Lantern #62 - not a big fan of this issue. I think it might have been Mahnke's art. The whole arc has been a bit drawn up - just to set up the "War of the Green Lanterns" arc which begins next issue. I hope it picks up a bit. GL needs to be big and exciting with the film coming out this summer. Right now, not so much for me (exciting).

Justice League of America #54 - good thing the heroes were on the cover and the first two pages, because otherwise I would have thought I picked up the wrong book. Given that, I love Eclipso and love the idea of taking an issue to give his background to those unfamiliar. But I do hope next issue we get to see the stars of this book as the vile villain puts his plan into effect (with help of his shadow warriors).

Comic Books of the Week (2/9/11) part 1

Batman: the Brave and the Bold #4 - every issue since the relauch with a new number 1 has had a big name guest-star. This time out - Wonder Woman. This issue was a lot of fun with plenty of guest-stars and guest-villains. Clearly the creative team had a ball putting this one together. It was like a love-letter to the classic Silver-Age for both Batman and Wonder Woman, featuring the famous (and less famous) rogues from both their titles. I had to go to my Wonder Woman Encyclopeida to look up some of these folks - they're that obscure. A great issue and fun for both kids and the kid-at-heart (like me). It would have made a solid episode for the cartoon (which I hope returns soon - the show was a lot of fun too).

DCU Legacies #9 (of 10) - while the art was solid, I felt writer Len Wein was really stretching a bit to make this one work. It covers parts of the Final Night and Judgment Day minis from the late 90's, giving each story a huge Reader's Digest treatment. It does neither story much justice. The stuff with the pedestrian narrator and his family and friends didn't add much more to it. The back-up on the Marvel Family origins with art by Bill Sienkiewicz didn't work for me either. I'm kind of glad this one is wrapping up next month. It is probably helpful for a newcomer to the DCU, but this fan of over thirty five years was a little bored.

Justice League: Generation Lost #19 (of 24) - a nice focus issue on the Blue Beetle (Jaime) as he tries to escape from Max Lord's clutches. I liked everything about this issue - the art, the pacing, and even the homage to Countdown to Infinite Crisis of sorts. Should that final page "shocker" worry me? No, not really. I think a certain character is too good to meet a final fate at this time. Looking for a solid finish to this mini over the next couple months. The creative team needs to kick in the high octane from here on out.

REBELS #25 - round two of the battle between the space-heroes and Starro's forces continues in this one. Most of the cast gets touched upon, which is hard to do with a book like this with many players. Lobo of course gets in some of the best stuff, including the issue ending fight between he and Storm Daughter. I hear this book's sales keep dropping, so I have to wonder how many more months we'll have before the plug gets pulled. Time will tell. Enjoy it while you can, readers.

Comics of the Week (1/26/11)

The racks of the comic shop are starting to look very cool now that we've hit the final week of DC's "white background" cover month. Neat effect. And good covers too.

Green Arrow #8 - tons of guest-stars in this issue. Tons so far since the run started (with previous months having Green Lantern, the Martian Manhunter, etc.). This issue there are three guest heroes, one supporting cast member, and that last page appearance for next issue. Okay, I get it. We want to show how the world is reacting to the mystery forest in Star City, but when will the guests stop? My guess is when Brightest Day ends in a few months and we get an answer to what is going on. It is starting to get old though.

Justice League: Generation Lost #18 - so Power Girl shows up end of last issue looking for a fight. That's what we get this time - an issue long fight. Lopresti's art sure made it enjoyable though. Now that we're 2/3rds of the way done with the story, I am so ready for Act 3. Let's get the battle to Max Lord, please.

Justice Society of America #47 - the "Supertown" arc continues. As I said last time, the story is interesting enough - it just does not feel like a JSA tale to me. Guggenhein does not seem to have the right "voice" for the characters for me, sadly. And what is with guest-stars Manhunter and Blue Devil? They're not traditional JSA material. Ah well.

Teen Titans #91 - I don't feel Krul has gotten his rhythm down yet on this title. The interplay between Robin and Ravager is nice, but the others just aren't there yet. Which is a shame since Krul did so well with the Blackest Night: Titans mini. Maybe it is this cast he has to work with. Not sure. I hope it picks up soon. Still, light-years better than the previous writer was doing on the book.

Comics of the Week (1/19/11)

Brightest Day #18 - first, a nice cover of Hawkman and Hawkgirl by David Finch. Inside, while the story touches briefly on a few of the cast, it mostly centers on the Hawks on Zamaron. And while they do win the battle, did they lose so much more? That last page is a shocker and makes we want to read more! Nicely done.

Justice League of America #53 - final part of the "Omega" storyline, which I am glad to see finish. While I've loved Mark Bagley's art on this run (this is his last issue), the story seems to have dragged too much for me. I hope I like the next artist who comes on board.

Legion of Super-Heroes #9 - another solid team cover and continued focus on the Durlan plotline. Unlike Adventure Comics last week, here we get a bigger focus on more team members. This is classic Paul Levitz writing - many subplots advanced along with the main plotline too. Brings me back to his writing run on the team back in the 80's - a run I enjoyed a lot.

John Byrne's Next Men #2 - after fifteen years hiatus, this title came back last month and I'm so happy he found a new home for the book at IDW! Byrne is one of those creators in my top-five, one who I'll give a chance on whatever he is working on. Here we have his original creations with this issue focusing on three of the cast lost in time. He handles the period settings quite well.

Star Wars Omnibus: A Long Time Ago... volume 3 - Dark Horse has been reprinting the classic Marvel Comics issues of Star Wars, with a volume coming out every three or so months. This one covers issues 50 to 67, plus annual #2. You get a lot of color comics for the price - less that what it might cost if you had to hunt down the back issues. The book is slightly smaller than the original comic size but so far everything still looks good at the slightly reduced size. This has been a fun return to those "in-between film" adventures of Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie and the droids. Good stuff.

Comics of the Week (1/12/11)

Batman: the Brave and the Bold #3 - this issue Batman teams up with the Flash (which one? - we never know if it is Barry or Wally) as they end up through the Looking Glass (thanks to the Mad Hatter and Mirror Master). A fun but predictable issue. The attention to detail on the classic Lewis Carroll characters was nice though.

Birds of Prey #8 - a nice cover starts this one off (great team shot). Inside, I was more fascinated by the Penguin/Hawk subplot that the fight between the Birds and the Calculator's gang. The rhythm of the issue seemed a bit off for me - not sure why. Gail Simone usually pens decent tails but something about this BOP run so far hasn't clicked 100% of the time for me.

Booster Gold #40 - a lot of this issue recapped Booster's background, making it a good jumping on point for new readers. Since I've been a fan since his debut in the 80's, I found it all a little bit boring. And I'm not getting Rip Hunter's motivation at the end of the issue - to make Booster stand trial for his past/future "crimes". Weird.

Justice League: Generation Lost #17 - Again, this book seems like it is stuck in a muddy rut, spinning its tires. I get that the pacing needs to be there to spread it out across 24 issues but we don't seem to be making a lot of progress each issue. And just what is Max Lord's true plan? It seems to change all the time. I hope Judd Winnick knows where he is taking this as it seems off-track to me.

R.E.B.E.L.S. #24 - has it been two years already? Hmmm. I appreciate how Tony Bedard is trying to make the most of the DCU cosmic side in this book. We get Vril Dox, Blackfire, Lobo, Captain Comet, Starfire, Adam Strange, some GLs, etc. that give the whole book an interesting mix. But, we seem to be heading back to the well for another battle with Starro (the humanoid one). Really? Ho hum. I would prefer to see a new threat, not a revisit of an old one that has barely been out of the book. I also hear rumor that the title continues to have low sales. I don't know how I'd feel if it got cancelled.

Action Comics #896 - this isn't a book I normally get, but it came out a few weeks ago and leads into this week's Secret Six so I picked it up. There has been some buzz about Paul Cornell's run on the book with Luthor in the starring role. I had high hopes. Boy, was I disappointed. The dialogue was pretty weak, the pacing dull, and the cliffhanger very contrived. The art by Pete Woods didn't do much for me either. This was like reading some amateur fanfiction - some poorer quality fanfiction (I've read some good stuff over the years - any of those writers could have done better). I also had heard good things about the Jimmy Olsen back-up feature but this part didn't thrill me at all. Jimmy looked and acted like an immature brat - not at all the competent best-friend of Superman I've been a fan of for years. I guess they had to "relaunch" him too at some point, but I'm not impressed. I'd rather read his 1970's exploits. That was a competent character.

Secret Six #29 - so, after a horrible part 1, could Gail Simone pull it out with part 2? Not really. It was okay but not as good as the usual exploits this team is known for. I guess there was too much to come back from and to make it believable and in the vein of the book usual tone. This issue was a disappointment as well. And next month there is a crossover with the Doom Patrol book? Oh joy. Wake me up when all this "fill-in" stuff is over with.

Comics of the Week (1/5/11)

First new books of the year - plus DC Comics has this logo-characters-on-a-white-background cover event going for all January books. I really like how they looked this week.

Adventure Comics #522 - First, great cover with the Legion females. I liked it a lot. Sadly, none of them appear in the book in any kind of action. The issue is mostly a focus on the new power-ringed Mon-El. Not a bad issue, really, but I would have liked to see more of the team from the regular book. I am though fully in favor of two Legion titles a month.

Brightest Day #17 - Cool cover with Firestorm, but here too the cover character does little inside the book. Instead it has more focus on the Hawks now that they are on Zamaron, and more focus on Deadman (loved his scenes with Dawn/Dove and his grandfather). Issue seemed to go a little fast.

JSA All-Stars #14 - JSA women on this cover (great women week for teams!). Inside, I like how this issue was focus on setting up some character subplots. After the last two issues focusing just on Cyclone, this is a nice change of pace. I hope the writer continues to balance subplots with the main story-line. I want to get invested in the team characters, especially some of the newer ones in the title.

Starman/Congorilla #1 - a nice one-shot featuring two characters that have been absent in the recent JLA arc. This was an outstanding issue, focusing well on the two characters and featuring guest-stars that made perfect sense to the story. Long time JLI fans will want to pick this up for a return of an old hero (who I hope we see more of after this issue).