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Mild Mannered Reviews - "Justice League of America" Comics

Justice League of America #6

Scheduled to arrive in stores: December 23, 2015

Cover date: February 2016

"Power and Glory" - Part Five

Writer: Bryan Hitch
Penciller: Bryan Hitch
Inker: Daniel Henriques, Andrew Currie, and Bryan Hitch
Cover: Bryan Hitch and Alex Sinclair

Reviewed by: Jeremiah Boor

Click to enlarge

Aquaman tries to drive out Rao's prophets from Atlantis. His people turn on him. Their conversion into disciples of Rao is complete.

On Themyscira, the Amazonian warriors resist, but they cannot hold their ground. Rao controls Themyscira and Atlantis and is about to take the Fortress of Solitude.

At the Fortress, Superman takes out a legion of prophets. But Rao punches him across the Arctic circle, then renders him unconscious with a second blow.

The Flash wakes up at Infinity Corp's headquarters in 1961. Lots of questions; no answers. The Flash needs to get back to present day.

Wonder Woman is abandoned on the tattered remains of Olympus. A voice tells her that Olympus is hers now. She is Olympus.

In Atlantis, the prophets are establishing a connection with the other locations to open a doorway. Aquaman tries to stop them, but it is too late. The door opens, and they are transported to Olympus. With the combined powers and sacrifice from a circle of prophets, Olympus is obliterated.

Two hundred and fifty thousand years ago, on the planet Krypton, Hal and Rao travel to Argo to meet the leader of the resistance. They are stopped in their tracks as they see a modern day Infinity Corp building.

Story - 3: This mediocre issue is the result of focusing on the necessity of a few plot-points while having no idea what to do with your protagonists. Aquaman puts up a half-hearted fight, accomplishing nothing. Superman fights valiantly-for two panels-then gets taken out. As for the rest of the league, their inactivity only gets worse from there.

With zero character development, Hitch must deliver a double portion plot-wise. And we get an important development: Olympus is destroyed. This reveals part of Rao's plan to the reader, but it isn't enough.

If you missed this issue, and the above recap, Rao wants to be the only god on Earth, and Infinity Corp's possession of the Stones of Forever gives them the ability to time travel. (Oh and a certain 'Jane Jones' can shape-shift. Hmmmm) But if this issue feels quick or hollow, it is because none of the characters affect the plot. Nor do they change themselves. They barely learn anything. There are two scenes where Hitch has the chance to give substance to this story, but he misses the opportunity.

Superman has Rao at the Fortress. Since it is no longer a secret that Rao is a villain, Hitch can use this moment to contrast the two main players. They are demigods who view Earth's inhabitants in different ways. They can exchange ideals, principles, and their worldview. Instead of shaping and sharpening their roles as hero and villain, Hitch opts for a seven-page fight with two punches thrown. (One of the two punches actually happens off panel)

When the Flash has Vincent cornered, he deftly asks, "Are you the bad guys?" Vincent and his assistants respond with non-answers, pseudo-science, and comic-book logic. If Barry is as confused as the readers, he does a good job of hiding it.

Aside from the aforementioned complaints, I have no major problems story-wise. But there are too many missed opportunities and filler pages to call this anything but average - at best. Bryan Hitch clearly has a story to tell, but having a story to tell, and telling it well, are two very different things.

Art - 4: Good, not great art. Despite getting a month to catch up, Hitch takes plenty of shortcuts here. When a talented artist like Bryan Hitch is looking to save time, he conserves pencil strokes instead of rushing. Lots of blank expressions, blank computer screens, and blank (sparse/easy to draw) panels.

To his credit, nothing is sloppy, he doesn't cut out backgrounds and has continued to give us big sets, and big dust-ups.

Cover Art - 2: The entire League is out for the count, except for Bat-god, I mean, Batman. Do I need to mention the fact that he isn't even in this issue?

The cover has nothing to do with the story. It is misleading and cliché. I'd love to see a collage of all of the JLA covers with all, or most, of the League battered and unconscious.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2016

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Mild Mannered Reviews - "Justice League of America" Comics

Justice League of America #6

Mild Mannered Reviews

2016

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