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Mild Mannered Reviews - Justice League Adventures

Justice League Adventures #26

Justice League Adventures #26

Scheduled to arrive in stores: December 3, 2003

Cover date: February 2004

Writer: Ken Rothstein
Penciller: Chris Jones
Inker: Dan Davis

"Strange Days" (Part 2)

Michael (George) O'Connor Reviewed by: Michael O'Connor



As a mob descends on a weakened Superman, the passing of a giant rocket startles the crowd. A blast from Superman's heat vision takes out a ship and sends the mob fleeing in panic.

Meanwhile, the passing rocket has two people chained to it: Wonder Woman and Adam Strange. Adam uses his jetpack to melt the chains and Diana awakes in time to lasso the rocket and hurl it into the mountain range where...

...J'onn J'onzz is surrounded by dinosaurs. The explosion of the rocket causes a cave-in that buries the creatures and allows him to escape.

Upon regrouping at Sardath's laboratory, Batman reveals that Sardath's assistant is dead and insists that the scientist reveal what his assistant knew -- the plans for stopping Sturm. Sardath relents, revealing to the Justice League that if they can gather unique minerals at the bottom of Raan's sea, the minerals will help to absorb the excess heat of the approaching sun.

Despite being almost completely de-powered, Superman and J'onn J'onzz volunteer to head up the mining with Wonder Woman. However, when the trio begins to mine, they're surprised by a massive explosion that sends them all reeling.

On the beach, Sardath and Adam Strange witness the explosion and are about to do something when Sturm teleports in with Sardath's daughter, Alanna, as his hostage. Sturm demands that Sardath give him his solar cannon; otherwise, it will mean the end for his daughter.

Meanwhile, Batman prevents Brianna, Sardath's other assistant, from shooting the security minister during a secret meeting.

Superman and J'onn J'onzz's powers are revived while they're underwater (due to the sun-absorbing minerals), and so they face off against a hammerhead shark with little difficulty. However, as soon as they leave the water, they find that Sturm is sending massive Ranndroids after them. Superman and J'onn, both weakened by the sun, can do little against the massive robots and Wonder Woman is soon overwhelmed. It is only when Adam Strange arrives to help that the Leaguers manage to band together with Strange and defeat their metal foes.

Back in Sardath's lab, the scientist is about to hand over his solar cannon to Sturm when he suddenly spins around and uses the weapon against the mad ex-military man.

Batman arrives moments later with Brianna, who he claims was Sturm's inside woman. Brianna reveals that it wasn't her, but instead the security minister. After some minor influencing, the security minister admits to being in league with Sturm and reveals where the battery is located that is draining off the power of Raan's sun.

The League is just about to leave Raan when they offer Adam Strange a place in the League. They never hear his answer, however, because they are teleported back to their world before he can finish his thought.

2Story - 2: Well, this issue was as bad as the last one which, while it's no great surprise, is still a disappointment. Adam Strange is a great character, but you wouldn't know that from reading this two-part stinker. What exactly does he do besides get captured (again and again and again) and beaten up? Nada. He frees Wonder Woman and himself from the rocket at the beginning by melting the chains? The chains aren't even near where his jetpack's exhaust flame emits! Besides which, why did Sturm let Adam keep his jetpack on? What idiot would do that? But, I digress. There were a number of things in the story that either just didn't make sense (why is J'onn J'onzz affected by a red sun?) or were so cliched and unimaginative (giant robots, Sturm using the scientist's daughter as hostage) that they made the experience of reading this book about as fun as reading the back of a cereal box. Everything that happened was so easily predictable and trite and repetitive, and Sturm kept popping up and doing one thing the entire time - kidnapping people and making the same demands. Meanwhile, Batman looks like the chump of the issue for not realizing what was so obvious - that the security adviser was Sturm's insider. Way to go, Dark Knight Detective. And don't even get me started on that dialogue again...

3Art - 3: Sometimes, the pages look great, and the other half of the time, it looks like it hasn't progressed past sketch mode. I don't know what happened here (maybe no inspiration from the crappy script?) but the magic just isn't showing up, or at least, it's not consistent.

4Cover Art - 4: Pretty good cover... unlike what's inside.



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