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Mild Mannered Reviews - JLA Comics

JLA #68

JLA #68

Scheduled to arrive in stores: July 31, 2002

Cover date: September 2002

Writer: Joe Kelly
Penciller: Doug Mahnke
Inker: Tom Nguyen

"Stillborn Atlantis"

John-Paul Zito Reviewed by: John-Paul Zito (ZitoMan11@aol.com)


At Titan HQ Tempest wakes up from a water chamber in a fury of confusion only to be greeted by Batman. It's time for Tempest to go home.

Up in the Watchtower Green Lantern gets a clean bill of health from Jonn. Jonn assures GL that his nightmares have nothing to do with the Shaman the JLA encountered in the previous issue.

Meanwhile On Atlantis' newly discovered shores Ocean Master and Black Mantis make their bid to conquer. After the nuisance is dispersed by Tempest's timely arrived the JLA gets down to a little detective work. With the help of some of the DCU's greatest magicians and mystics the JLA uncover some of the mystery. It would appear that Tempest's protection spell cast in the heat of battle during last year's Our World's At War, had some unexpected effects. The spell would appear to have transported Atlantis 3000 years into the past and above sea level. Anything that came to Atlantis' shores in that time was shot through space and time around the magical island.

In the main chamber the Atom drains the waiting pool to discover a distress call. "JLA" has been carved into the pool's floor, clearly the work of Aquaman.

Despite the reservations of Batman and Green Lantern the JLA decide to let Tempest cast his spell once more there by sending the JLA back to where Atlantis was sent a year earlier. Tempest and the magicians gear up to cast the spell. Half way through the major mystic process something goes wrong. In a flash of magical forces the JLA is gone. Tempest hangs his head in defeat. He's failed his king, his country, and now the world's greatest heroes.

3Story - 3: While this was an interesting issue and it adds more pieces to the puzzle it felt kind of flat, as if there were something missing. The battle with Ocean Master for control of Atlantis ends rather abruptly and without the apprehension of Black Mantis and the would be Atlantean king.

The solution to this issue seems to come to quickly and easily. The Mystics have no trouble deducing what's happened and that makes for a rather simple story progression.

On the other hand I really enjoyed Kyle's reluctance to head back in time to save Aquaman and the displaced Atlantis. It adds a sense of real danger to see one of these larger then life heroes completely unsure of himself.

4Art - 4: Mahnke draws the most gorgeous Zatana ever. Also the most disturbing panel in a JLA comic ever is in this issue. Note on page 15 the panel featuring Kyle's fear visualized, Superman bent broken and dead.

I guess this is five months running now, but my gripes about the background coloring will never end. Two shades of yellow doesn't constitute real coloring.

4Cover Art - 4: Well drawn well conceived and its one of those rare occasions that lack of background is OK.


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Mild Mannered Reviews

2002

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