I really had high hopes when I heard that Dwayne McDuffie was taking over as writer of the Justice League of America. He's done excellent work in the past, most notably on the underrated Static and a recent strong run on the Fantastic Four. Even better, he wrote some great stories for the recent cartoon version of the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.
Sadly, that Dwayne has not been much in evidence yet. Perhaps it's because the title has been plagued by company crossovers, or maybe he just hasn't been there long enough to put his stamp on the book - but for whatever reason, the comic has just been... ok.
Maybe it's all about expectations. The book hasn't been bad at all, it just hasn't been exceptional. He does have a good grip on the characterization of each member, and they all speak in a distinct voice.
This issue is another good example, as we get some closure with the Red Tornado's story and some insight into the Hawkgirl / Red Arrow romance. That all works fine, but the main storyline shows us the reasons behind Vixen's recent problems with her powers, and there the comic just spins its wheels. Despite the fact that it's a double-sized issue, the League doesn't have much to do, and most of the story is a dream-like series of events that will obviously be quickly undone.
There's an all-star lineup of artists on display in the issue, and they turn in some excellent work - including Ed Benes, Doug Mahnke, Darick Robertson, Shane Davis, Ian Churchill, Ivan Reis and an army of inkers.
I really want to like this comic, and I keep thinking it's going to be great - but I'm still waiting for the real Dwayne McDuffie to turn up and show us how the JLA is done. I know he's out there somewhere!
Grade: B
2 comments:
Keep up the good work.
Anemone, thanks - much appreciated!
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