Written by Gerard Jones
Art by Jeff Parker; John Nyberg; Clem Robins; & Gene D’Angelo
Cover Art by José Marzan, Jr.
SUMMARY:
As part of its Year One theme, DC Comics published this 48-page annual entitled “Seconds” in 1995. The League consists of: Martian Manhunter; Mr. Miracle; Captain Marvel/Shazam; Green Lantern (Hal Jordan); Black Canary; Guy Gardner; Captain Atom; Booster Gold; Batman; Doctor Fate; Blue Beetle (Ted Kord); and Rocket Red. While Max Lord risks his life reneging on his covert role in a worldwide invasion conspiracy, the League is transported into a battle vs. Darkseid’s forces. The fates of New Genesis and Apokolips are at stake. Related guest stars include Metron, Orion, Lightray, Highfather, Darkseid, and DeSaad.
REVIEW:
It’s laughably bad read! The dubious impression left is that DC Comics should have outsourced this sub-par annual to an elementary school art class – the end result would have surpassed this creative team’s laziness.
The biggest fizzle is that there are far too many Leaguers to give them all something remotely meaningful to do — ironically, Batman ends up the worst casualty. As the team leader, no less, Batman comes off as a cardboard cutout sporadically seen amidst a few background panels. Instead, Mr. Miracle and Max Lord are allotted the most pivotal screen time, which still doesn’t amount to much.
Even worse than the mediocre storytelling is the stunningly low-grade (well, about 90% thereabouts) artwork – visually, the other ten percent hovers around average caliber. DC Comics should be embarrassed by this annual’s production quality, as it’s strictly for undemanding kids. Taking on this weak effort requires accepting it’s amateur hour time. For comparison’s sake, Justice League Annual # 9 is just as dreadful as 2018’s Justice League: No Justice mini-series.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
None.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3 Stars
