Month: May 2021

Written by James Robinson

Art by Mark Bagley; Rob Hunter; Marlo Alouiza; Walden Wong; Pete Pantazis; & Rob Leigh

Cover Art ‘A’ & ‘B’ by Mark Bagley; Rob Hunter; & Pete Pantazis

SUMMARY:

Entitled “Team History (Part 1),” DC Comics released this issue for March 2010.  After Blackest Night and the controversial Cry for Justice, the only active Leaguer left is Dr. Light II (Kimiyo Hoshi).  She sadly watches over a dissembled Red Tornado.  An injured/demoralized Vixen also departs the team; off-screen; Jason Rusch’s Firestorm, Gypsy, Plastic Man, and Zatanna Zatara have already done so. 

Despite her younger sister’s mixed feelings, Wonder Woman encourages Donna Troy to help Kimiyo spearhead the team’s next recruitment drive.  Among the initial candidates are: Mon-El, Green Arrow, Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern, and several adult Titans (Cyborg, Starfire, Dick Grayson’s Batman, and Troy herself). 

Meanwhile, a time-warping sub-plot set in 1777 Virginia depicts Tomahawk, his young partner Dan, and Miss Liberty stumbling upon a mysterious metallic item of possibly alien origin.  At the present-day Smithsonian Institute, top-secret researcher Darwin Jones is unpleasantly approached by a super-powered being seeking this same artifact.

REVIEW:

Considering how horribly misogynistic the prior issue is, Justice League of America # 41 is a welcome step in a far better direction.  Though the solid artwork falters in some panels, Robinson merits credit for plausibly assembling a mix of DC’s big-name Leaguers and its best next-generation heroes as the League’s next phase.  Not only are a few scenes enigmatically dropped to build a new threat, there’s nice work depicting Kimiyo Hoshi (as her own parting gift) and a reluctant Donna Troy rebuilding the JLA from the inside out.  Overall, even if it isn’t a must-have, the all-ages Justice League of America # 41 is still good entertainment.       

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

DC Publicity Manager Alex Saguro hypes the new ‘Source’ in the “DC Nation” column.  There’s a five-page First Wave portfolio from Brian Azzarello & Rages Morales.  Included are their First Wave player profiles of Batman, Doc Savage, Savage’s crew, Justice, Inc., the Spirit, a variant of the Golden Age Black Canary, and Rima the Jungle Girl, along with revelations re: this mini-series’ chosen villains.      

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                               7 Stars

A

B

Written by James Robinson

Art by Mark Bagley; Rob Hunter; Scott Hanna; Marlo Alouiza; Pete Pantazis; & John J. Hill

Cover Art by Mark Bagley; Rob Hunter; & Pete Pantazis

SUMMARY:

Entitled “By My Black Hand, the Dead Will Rise!: Reunion, Part Two,” DC Comics released this Blackest Night tie-in for February 2010.  Inside the Hall of Justice, Red Tornado lays bloodied and dissembled; Zatanna has vanished; and Plastic Man has melted into rubbery goo.  It’s down to Doctor Light II (Kimiyo Hoshi), Gypsy, and Vixen (hampered by a metallic cast on her shattered leg) to face off vs. three Black Lanterns: Steel, Vibe, and the nefarious first Doctor Light.  Insights into Steel’s horrific origin and glimpses of the League’s past are revealed. 

Vixen defiantly holds her team together in battle, as the Black Lanterns’ pure evil/misogyny grind their victims’ vulnerable emotions to pulp.  Zatanna Zatara’s off-screen battle against her father’s Black Lantern ends.  Ultimately, the true Dr. Light and Gypsy may be the League’s last hope.      

REVIEW:

The issue’s best elements are: 1. Kudos for stellar continuity re: the League’s mid-80’s Detroit incarnation, as five Detroit Leaguers are present: Vixen, Zatanna, Gypsy, Steel, & Vibe; and 2. The visual quality, i.e. the cover image, is high-caliber. 

Still, aside from the violent showdown content, the flip side is disturbingly grim.  While fans will grasp the Black Lanterns are ‘programmed’ to verbally torture their victims, the misogynistic dialogue writer James Robinson scripts here is nothing short of sickening.  Beyond DC Comics crassly opting not to bother with a parental advisory, it’s really a triumph of sleaze exploiting 80’s nostalgia for Justice League Detroit. 

Subsequently depicting the female Leaguers at the end as being utterly demoralized and/or unconscious is a cheap way of justifying the vile matter by which it is accomplished.  Speaking of cheap, there’s another misogynistic bone to pick.  DC Comics had previously established that Kimiyo Hoshi’s uniform survives intact from even her most intense energy busts.  Yet, Robinson’s script has Hoshi’s costume gradually shredded until she is rendered totally nude for no logical reason — other than evidently reiterating how her predecessor’s incessant abuse strips away her dignity and thereby further enraging Hoshi into retaliation.  Why this creative squad deemed a ‘strip-tease’ necessary is anyone’s guess, short of another ugly surprise in Robinson’s plotting.

Could Robinson have suppressed his worst impulses and still delivered a satisfying Blackest Night tale?  When on his game, he’s a definitely gifted pro, so had DC mandated it, then, surely, yes.  In fairness, Robinson wasn’t the only DC writer grossly overplaying adult sci-fi/horror themes in a kid-friendly title.  Blackest Night’s edict, most likely for cheap shock value, too often gave DC’s creative talent a free pass to peddle some of the nastiest garbage in the company’s history.  This issue is obviously no exception, though Green Lantern # 43 (Black Hand’s origin/recruitment into The Black Lantern Ciorps) is even more reprehensible.  

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Senior VP/Executive Editor Dan DiDio includes a “DC Nation” column.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                                 2 Stars