Review: Justice League of America #49

After running in to their old foe, the Bogeyman, Donna Troy and Jade are thrust into a nightmarish dreamscape where they have to confront their worst fears and memories.
 

The Good

The notion of superheroes having to battle abstract living nightmares of their worst fears is a familiar trope... so I really enjoyed how Robinson turned the story on its head in this issue. Donna Troy's been around the bend long enough and gone through enough hard times to sniff out an obvious trap like this. I loved how she gets out of the nightmare by sheer force of will - - by basically deducing the scenario's gaps in logic. And I have to say Donna's first reunion with the Bogeyman was skin-crawly creep. In just a few words, Robinson's establishes him to be operating on a much more perverted level than your average super villain.

The Bad

I would've liked to have seen more of the "b" story with Batman and Supergirl. The prospect of them forming their own "world's finest" team, as well the degree of romantic tension between the two, was something I was hoping to see explored in a little more detail than just a couple bookend scenes.

The Verdict - 4.5/5

Robinson has a knack for digging up the most obscure characters from the smallest corners of continuity and finding ways to spin them out to be much more interesting than they ever were to begin with. I've never heard of the Bogeyman before this, so his inclusion here is definitely no exception. As a whole, this book's been a departure from the "big guns" approach that predominated JLA for years, but I've been enjoying the greater emphasis on interpersonal relationships on the team. I'm curious to see what's in store for the likely double-sized 50th issue.