Written by James Robinson
Art by Brett Booth; Norm Rapmund; Andrew Dalhouse; & Rob Leigh
Cover Art by Brett Booth & Andrew Dalhouse
SUMMARY:
Published by DC Comics for April 2011, the first salvo of Eclipso Rising (AKA The Rise of Eclipso) is entitled “Shadow Warriors,” as it heralds the return of Bruce Gordon. Again bonded as Eclipso’s host body, a desperate Gordon’s return to Diablo Island inadvertently unleashes his insidious alter ego. The island’s native inhabitants and his friend, Mona, are chillingly murdered. Seeking to recruit a gang with shadow-like powers, Eclipso, forcibly recruits Shade; Nightshade; Acrata; Shadow Thief; Dark-Crow; and the vicious ape-like Bete-Noire. He reveals his most pivotal recruit is still to come.
Note: Though an image isn’t available in this comic, artist David Mack created the variant cover.
REVIEW:
The League’s absence (minus a glimpse of Jade & Jesse Quick visiting an ill Alan Scott and a two-page look at the previous incarnations and its current squad) makes for a potentially intriguing story. More so, Eclipso’s recruitment for a formidable team to oppose the League is ingenious. Yet, the stellar cover image is hijacked, as it deceptively implies that Eclipso has already converted Dick Grayson’s Batman; Donna Troy; the alien Starman; and Supergirl. No such sequence occurs here. Eclipso’s bloody sword is the cover’s only accurate reflection, and it’s frankly for the wrong reason.
Eclipso’s decimation of Diablo Island is needlessly gory (i.e. an image of a severed head). Though this issue’s artwork is superb, its unsavory reliance on horror flick imagery could have been implied rather than glorifying it. DC Comics didn’t bother providing a parental advisory, as it should have considering this issue’s grisly carnage. Hence, Justice League of America # 51 ruins an exciting opener for this Eclipso storyline with gross-out tactics.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Include a full-page cover image, there is a five-page preview of War of the Green Lanterns. The single-page “DC Nation” column hypes the release of the All-Star Superman Blu-Ray & DVD.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5 Stars
