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Mild Mannered Reviews - JLA Comics

Justice League of America #26

Justice League of America #26

Scheduled to arrive in stores: October 29, 2008

Cover date: December 2008

"The Second Coming" - Chapter Five: "Spiritus Mundi"

Writter: Dwayne McDuffie
Penciller: Ed Benes
Inker: Ed Benes

Michael Bailey Reviewed by: Michael Bailey

Click to enlarge


Vixen is still trapped in the other reality that the trickster god Anansi had created. Her first stop is the Bruce Wayne of that reality who became the gun wielding Paladin. With the help of David Kim, the Green Lantern, they stop Gordon from shooting Paladin. The three heroes travel to the Fortress of Solitude and Wonder Woman uses her lasso to ensure that Vixen is telling the truth. With the help of the Justice League they travel back to Anansi's world where Anansi quickly turns that League to his will. Vixen holds her totem hostage to convince Anansi to release her Justice League. He does so and to give Vixen some quality time with Anansi she has her League fight Anansi's.

Anansi reveals that the world has changed. Vixen points out that he was the one that changed it but Anansi can only control the stories inside the totem. Reality has been altered on a basic level and while the change is going smoothly thus far that might not always be the case. There is one human who is aware of the situation and may seek to take advantage of it. He needs Vixen to be an agent of change and he needed to test Mari to make her strong again. With her powers and confidence back he returns Mari and the League to their rightful reality.

4Story - 4: Despite a rather abrupt ending this was a satisfying end to "The Second Coming". This hasn't been my absolute favorite Justice League story of the current series or McDuffie's run, but I found myself enjoying the resolution to Vixen's story.

I especially liked the alternate take on the League. It was gutsy to have a Batman that used guns, but if you are going to go for the opposite of everything Batman is as a hero then the Punisher is the way to go. The Green Lantern of that reality was a neat character as well. Nothing, though, beats the Brown Bomber.

Dwayne, I salute you. That was an interesting take on Captain Marvel and Hourman.

There were other nice little touches. The showdown between Paladin and Gordon was very dramatic and a great way to bring the first round of characters together. Wonder Woman's use of the magic lasso was spot on and cut right to the chase of Vixen convincing this League to help her. I also loved the fact that the real Justice League appears and all Vixen has to say is, "Doppelgangers," and the League is ready to go. There was a short hand there that let you know that this is a team and that despite the fact that we have never seen it the group has trained together.

I was fairly surprised that Anansi wasn't the vehicle McDuffie used to bring the Dakota characters from the Milestone Universe into the current Earth. It seems kind of obvious, which is probably why it didn't happen. I am looking forward to the next issue, though. I wasn't a huge follower of the Milestone books but I did read a few of them, especially the "Worlds Collide" crossover that went through most of the Superman family books in 1994. So I am in the rather neat position of going from one story that I ended up liking into another that I have been looking forward to, which is nice.

Man, that Brown Bomber was a good idea.

4Art - 4: Despite the requisite amount of cheesecake art Ed Benes got to stretch his legs a bit in this issue. The alternate character designs were interesting and Benes drew them well. The two page spread of the two League fighting was fairly spectacular and the highlight of the issue.

Good stuff. Well worth the wait.

4Cover Art - 4: Despite being the standard group shot cover I rather liked it. The "Not an Elseworlds" tag was interesting. Was it put there so people wouldn't be confused?

I guess we'll never know.

Unless, you know, someone tells us.

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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