ACTION #887 (5/10)
"Truth to Power"
ROLL CALL: Mon-El (mentioned)
CUTE BOYS: Chris Kent
Jax-Ur, who keeps turning into a green Barsoomian, has extracted the god essence from Nightwing and Flamebird to create Rao, a giant crystalline red Barsoomian who gets more powerful with every weapon that's used against him. Meanwhile Lois Lane, doing her best Amanda Waller impersonation, has followed leads through the deserts of Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan in her quest to tell the truth about General Lane (who, incidentally, doesn't appear to be anywhere near any of those countries)...just when her transportation gives out, Chris hears her voice and (being a dutiful son) comes to fly her into the heart of danger. Rao (or Jax-Ur) turns Chris into glass...or maybe traps him in glass...or maybe sends him into the nonexistent Phantom Zone...it's really, really hard to tell. And now the Pakistani army is going to launch nukes at Rao, which will make him much stronger and (incidentally) reduce Lois to her constituent atoms. But we have to wait until next issue to find out what happens, because they had to make room for a totally pointless second story about Captain Atom and the same six-page preview of Flash #1 that's using up space in half the comics I got this week.
Confused? Trying to figure out why you should care? Welcome to the club.
To make things even worse. Chris remains fully clothed for the whole story. Bah.
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JUSTICE LEAGUE: RISE AND FALL SPECIAL #1 (5/10)
"Green Arrow Unbound"
ROLL CALL: Mon-El (cameo)
CUTE BOYS: Gun shop looter whom Black Canary kicks on page 10
Mon-El appears in a single panel, in the context of a newspaper story on the destruction of Star City.
This issue takes up pretty much where JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE left off. If you didn't read JL:CFJ, then count yourself very, very lucky. Besides, you don't need to: the first few pages of this story recaps what that series took 7 tedious issues to tell. This comic has lots of things that JL:CFJ didn't: a comprehensible plot, good pacing, solid characterization, and an intriguing theme.
Basically, Green Arrow is so freaked out by the destruction of Star City, the maiming of Red Arrow, and the death of his granddaughter, that he went and killed the buy what done it. And so begins a tale that strikes to the morality of super-heroes, the use and abuse of power, the corrupting power of revenge, and other great questions.
It's good to see this. There was a time, not long ago, when such questions were considered quaint and naive in the DC Universe (and many other comics). So-called "heroes" were torturing and murdering so-called "bad guys" all over the place (Lobo alone killed more people than any ten super-villains), and even Superman turned executioner. But since KINGDOM COME, traditional morality has been creeping back, so that now readers can feel the shock of heroes like Green Lantern and Flash when they contemplate what Green Arrow has done.
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R.E.B.E.L.S. #14 (5/10)
"In the Flesh"
ROLL CALL: Adam Strange, Amon Hakk, Captain Comet, Ciji, Tribulus, Vril Dox, Wildstar, Xylon
ROLL CALL (Omega Men): Broot, Darkfire, Doc, Elu, Tigorr
CUTE BOYS: Adm Strange (especially with his helmet off), Captain Comet, Darkfire
The Starro storyline comes to a satisfying end, narrated by Adam Strange. Notice that the title, which appears at the end, contains a major clue.
Now Dox is triumphtant, L.E.G.I.O.N. is back in business, and the decks are cleared for the upcoming meeting of the Three Brainiacs. Be afraid. Be very afriad.
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SUPERMAN: LAST STAND OF NEW KRYPTON #1 (5/10)
"Part One: Invaded"
ROLL CALL: Chameleon Boy, Element Lad, Matter-Eater Lad, Mon-El, Quislet, Sensor Girl, Starman/Star Boy, Tellus
HONORABLE MENTION: Superboy (Conner) and Supergirl
CUTE BOYS: Any number of cute Kyrptonians, Conner, Jan, Mon-El, Tenzil
Brainiac attacks New Krypton. General Zod loses it. Kal goes back to being Superman. Superboy arrives with the Legion in tow. Supergirl and Mon go off to help the Kryptonians, and Zod orders his guards to arrest Superboy and the Legion. Meanwhile, Superman discovers that Brainiac and Luthor have joined forces, which we've known since, what four issues of Adventure ago?
The Legion explains the nature of Brainiac's threat to the future. Concerning the cities that Brainiac has stolen, "...we have information that these cities need to be rescued and restored to their places in the galaxy so worlds can grow from them and exist in the future. We're certain the fate of that future depends depends on it."
BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: Zod thinks that some super-powered Krytponian guards with blasters can arrest the Leigon? It is to laugh. Let us count the ways the Legionnaires could fight back:
- Sensor Girl can render them blind and deaf
- Starman/Star Boy can make their blasters too super-heavy for even Kryptonians to hold
- Tellus can use telekinesis to push the guards away and/or shield the Legionnaires
- Cham can turn into a Three-Eyed Babootch and scare them all away
- Quislet can poop into their guns and make them explode (wait, that didn't come out right....)
- Superboy can use freeze breath to...uh...freeze them
- Element Lad can turn anything and everything around them into Kryptonite
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2 comments:
So.
With 2 issues of JLA left for Mon-El to appear in....I wonder if he'll actually appear on more than 2-3 pages.
And actually do something. :)
Yeah, so far the only thing Mon has done in the JLA is to hang around looking sexy. Not that I'm against that, but...seems a waste for a guy who can move dwarf stars around!
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