
Mild Mannered Reviews - JLA Comics


Justice League of America #10
Scheduled to arrive in stores: June 20, 2007Cover date: August 2007
Writter: Brad Meltzer
Penciller: Ed Benes
Inker: Sandra Hope
The Lightning Saga - Final Chapter: "The Villain is the Hero of his Own Story"
Reviewed by: Michael Bailey
The League and Society realize that the Legionnaires they are seemingly fighting are just illusions. Meanwhile the real Legionnaires take up their respective positions in Tokyo, Central City, Smallville, San Francisco and Gotham to await impact. The more mobile and powerful members of both the League and Society confront them and try to convince the young heroes that they don't have to go through with their suicide run. Despite their pleas the lightning strikes and in the aftermath Wally West, his wife Linda and their two children are back from whence they had disappeared to.
The Legionnaires escape and before traveling back to the future they leave Karate Kid behind. Wally reunites with his friends and the two teams part after making plans for the next meeting. In the future Brainiac 5 muses on the fact that in the end they had got who they had really wanted as he examines one of the lightning rods that appears to have a face trapped in the top of.
Story - 4: Ah, that old conflicted feeling rears its ugly head.
On one hand this was a pretty explosive ending with the return of a character I have a lot of affection for. I like Wally. I've liked Wally since the summer of 1995 when I read the "Return of Barry Allen" story line written by Mark Waid. So seeing him back does my fanboy heart good.
But, and this is kind of a big but (insert Sir Mix-A-Lot joke right about here), this story seems like it started out going in one direction and ended up going in another one entirely.
I'm sure the whole Legion thing was part of the equation all along, so as far as the Legionnaires are concerned I'm relatively satisfied with how that side of the arc went. I rather like the way they reintegrated the Legion into Superman's back story, which to me gave the fact that the Legion betrayed him all the more resonance. It was also kind of cool that the Legion was involved in the first place.
So, the Legion end of this story? Good.
The return of Wally? Good. Not sure I like how it happened, especially with Bart Allen's supposed fate over in the pages of the FLASH, but still good.
The story as it stacks up against past Justice League and Justice Society team-ups? At the end of the day it ranks right up there with the best of them. Both Meltzer and Johns seemed to have had a good time and they did a good job of playing with the personalities of both teams.
I only have one real question; weren't there other villains in this story?
I mean I remember Per Degaton, Desparo and Ultra-Humanite. They were there. Both Johns and Meltzer seemed to make a big deal of them. Then they just...disappeared. It's possible that those villains are going to be major players down the road, but it seems kind of disingenuous to introduce such heavy hitters (yes, even Degaton) and not pay them off within the story arc.
Oh well, other than that I was satisfied with this issue and the story as a whole.
Art - 4: More Benes and Hope goodness. It's not easy making such a large group of heroes look good, but this artistic duo pulls it off just fine. I also dug the little clip from CRISIS that they threw in. I sit in awe at the marvels of Photoshop.
Cover Art - 3: (Standard Cover by Michael Turner and Peter Steigerwald) I didn't like this cover when I saw the teaser in Previews and I don't like it now. Even with the bit of breast reduction the art department did from the first solicit to here this is just a really boring and unattractive image. Sure Black Canary looks find but other than that I was not happy with this cover.
Cover Art Alternate - 4: (Alternate Cover by Phil Jimenez and Rod Reis) Because the manager at my regular comic shop sold it to me at cover price I actually bought this variant cover. Not bad. Definitely action packed with a bunch of really hacked off looking super-heroes. More than that it wasn't the Turner cover, so right there it earns serious points in my book.
Mild Mannered Reviews
2007
Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.January 2007
- Action Comics #845
- Superman #658
- Superman/Batman #31
- Superman Confidential #1
- Supergirl #12
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #24
- 52: Week 26
- 52: Week 27
- 52: Week 28
- 52: Week 29
- 52: Week 30
- Justice League of America #4
- JLA Classified #29
- Justice League Unlimited #27
- Krypto The Superdog #3
- Action Comics #846
- Superman #659
- Superman/Batman #32
- Superman Confidential #2
- Supergirl #13
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #25
- 52: Week 31
- 52: Week 32
- 52: Week 33
- 52: Week 34
- Justice League of America #5
- JLA Classified #30
- Infinite Holiday Special #1
- Justice #9
- Justice Society of America #1
- Justice League Unlimited #28
- Krypto The Superdog #4
- Superman #660
- Superman/Batman #33
- Superman Confidential #3
- All Star Superman #6
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #26
- 52: Week 35
- 52: Week 36
- 52: Week 37
- 52: Week 38
- 52: Week 39
- Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predators #1
- JLA Classified #31
- JLA Classified #32
- JLA Classified #33
- Justice Society of America #2
- Justice League Unlimited #29
- Krypto The Superdog #5
- Action Comics #847
- Superman #661
- Action Comics Annual #10
- Superman Confidential #4
- Supergirl #14
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #27
- 52: Week 40
- 52: Week 41
- 52: Week 42
- 52: Week 43
- Superman & Batman vs. Aliens & Predators #2
- Justice League of America #6
- JLA Classified #34
- JLA Classified #35
- Justice #10
- Justice Society of America #3
- Justice League Unlimited #30
- Krypto The Superdog #6
- Action Comics #848
- Superman #662
- Superman/Batman #34
- Supergirl #15
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #28
- 52: Week 44
- 52: Week 45
- 52: Week 46
- 52: Week 47
- Justice League of America #7
- JLA Classified #36
- Justice Society of America #4
- Justice League Unlimited #31
- Superman Confidential #5
- All Star Superman #7
- Supergirl #16
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #29
- 52: Week 48
- 52: Week 49
- 52: Week 50
- 52: Week 51
- World War III - Book One: A Call to Arms
- World War III - Book Two: The Valiant
- World War III - Book Three: Hell is for Heroes
- World War III - Book Four: United We Stand
- Justice League of America #8
- JLA Classified #37
- Justice #11
- Justice Society of America #5
- Justice League Unlimited #32
- Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #1
- Action Comics #849
- Action Comics #850
- Superman #663
- Superman/Batman #35
- Supergirl #17
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #30
- 52: Week 52
- Countdown 51
- Countdown 50
- Countdown 49
- Countdown 48
- Justice League of America #9
- JLA Classified #38
- Justice Society of America #6
- Justice League Unlimited #33
- Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #2
- Action Comics #851
- Superman #664
- Superman/Batman #36
- Superman/Batman #37
- All Star Superman #8
- Supergirl #18
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #31
- Countdown 47
- Countdown 46
- Countdown 45
- Countdown 44
- Justice League of America #10
- JLA Classified #39
- Justice #12
- Justice League Unlimited #34
- Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #3
- Action Comics #852
- Superman #665
- Superman/Batman #38
- Supergirl #19
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #32
- Countdown 43
- Countdown 42
- Countdown 41
- Countdown 40
- Justice League of America #11
- JLA Classified #40
- Justice Society of America #7
- Justice League Unlimited #35
- Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #4
- Action Comics #853
- Action Comics #854
- Action Comics #855
- Superman #666
- Superman/Batman #39
- Supergirl #20
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #33
- Countdown 39
- Countdown 38
- Countdown 37
- Countdown 36
- Countdown 35
- 52 Aftermath: Four Horsemen #1
- Justice League of America #12
- JLA Classified #41
- Justice Society of America #8
- Justice League Unlimited #36
- Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #5
- Action Comics #856
- Superman #667
- Superman/Batman #40
- Superman Confidential #6
- Supergirl #21
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #34
- Countdown 34
- Countdown 33
- Countdown 32
- Countdown 31
- 52 Aftermath: Four Horsemen #2
- JLA Wedding Special #1
- Justice League of America #13
- JLA Classified #42
- JLA Classified #43
- JLA/Hitman #1
- Infinity Inc. #1
- Justice Society of America #9
- Justice League Unlimited #37
- Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #6
- Action Comics #857
- Action Comics #858
- Superman #668
- Superman #669
- Superman/Batman #41
- Superman Confidential #7
- Superman Confidential #8
- All Star Superman #9
- Supergirl #22
- Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #35
- Teen Titans #52
- Countdown 30
- Countdown 29
- Countdown 28
- Countdown 27
- Countdown 26
- 52 Aftermath: Four Horsemen #3
- Justice League of America #14
- JLA Classified #44
- JLA Classified #45
- JLA/Hitman #2
- Infinity Inc. #2
- Justice Society of America #10
- Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Cyborg Superman #1
- Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Superman Prime #1
- Infinite Halloween Special #1
- Justice League Unlimited #38
- Legion of Super Heroes in the 31st Century #7
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Check out the Comic Index Lists for the complete list of Superman-related comics published in 2007.