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Mild Mannered Reviews - JLA Comics

JLA: Classified #53

JLA: Classified #53

Scheduled to arrive in stores: February 27, 2008

Cover date: Late April 2008

"That Was Now, This is Then" - Part Four: "No Other Gods Before Me!"

Writter: Roger Stern
Penciller: John Byrne
Inker: Mark Farmer

Michael Bailey Reviewed by: Michael Bailey

Click to enlarge


After making sure that Superman is alive the League renews their attack on Titus. J'onn lands the first blow but his efforts prove useless. Green Lantern finally manages to knock Titus off the battlefield allowing Batman to give medical aid to both Green Lantern and the Flash. The League gives chase and the battle rages across the sky and in the sea until Titus is seemingly brought down. The supposed god laughs and informs the League that they have proven they are worthy and offers to give them the power to do what they must have always wanted and serve as a new pantheon under Titus. The League refuses, which infuriates the god. He creates a whirlwind which carries the League off planet. Once they manage to break free they discover that they are on the moon and about to run out of air.

4Story - 4: Four chapters in and this story is still going strong. Roger Stern started things off with the conclusion to the League's initial battle with Titus and then turned things around with Titus making the heroes an offer that he believes they shouldn't refuse. I liked this. Not only did this allow for the old school League to strut their stuff but for Stern to delve into what Titus believed the League should be. It's kind of a "Last Temptation of the Justice League" in a way. Allow them to see their full potential (and in the case of the Flash doing a little retroactive foreshadowing with the Speed Force) and then have them refuse because they don't see themselves as above humanity.

This is classic super-hero writing at its best and was a lot more than I was expecting from this issue, which is always a nice surprise. Titus has emerged as a very good enemy for the Justice League even if this is one of those previously untold tales.

I'm going to be a bit bummed when this story ends. I really am.

4Art - 4: As in the previous chapters I was satisfied with John Byrne and Mark Farmer's work. The opening splash page was particularly well done. The action was intense and exciting. My only real problem was with the "dream sequences". I wasn't all that thrilled with the costume designs and that last shot of the League assembled before Titus' throne lacked the detail that the rest of the art did.

Other than that I thought the artwork was aces.

4Cover Art - 4: Well, this cover certainly piques my interest. I have to admit that seeing the JLA in different costumes got me curious as to the why, so the cover succeeds on that front. Frankly I can't find too much to complain about here so the cover gets a four.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2008

Note: Month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

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