Justice Leaue: Generation Lost #15
Nate's back from the future and is very, very pissed with Max. Speaking of Max, he isn't the only one the world's forgotten. In a deliciously ironic bit of poetic justice nobody besides he and the JLI remember Wonder Woman, that's really gotta throw a big monkey wrench into his plans to you know...kill her and all.
The Good
So much to love about this issue, but let's start by focusing on the writing. I'm no fan of Judd Winick, but he's been freaking electric during this series. He has a great handle on all of the characters in this series and the family dynamic that he's given to the team is my favorite thing about it. He infuses the appropriate balance of giggles and gravitas. The humor in this title is some of the most organic I've ever seen in a comic. And Captain Atom's musings on his waning humanity could very easily come off as contrived and emo. Instead they read like the genuine thoughts of a man who's watching himself change, feeling himself fade a little at a time, and is afraid of what he's becoming. Very emotionally resonant stuff.
This issue starts off with a satisfying spazz out by Max Lord, who's not the least bit oblivious to the irony of being the only person he knows who remembers wonder woman (and how she snapped his neck for the world to see). The way Winick weaves the current mystery of Wonder Woman into his narrative is superb. All too often writers trying to tie plot points from other titles into theirs is unnatural and forced, especially with the glut of recent "Events!" Winick does it in a manner that makes it seem like this Wonder Woman development was his own idea from jump street.
Last issue Nate was launched into a bleak, dystopian future created by the actions of Maxwell Lord. The catalyst for that future was the death of Wonder Woman. Nate returns to the present in this issue to, like Max, discover that the world's forgotten Dianna. But that's not all he discovers, he also learns that max has framed him for the murder of Magog and about 1,000 civilians. Boy, oh boy is he pissed about that, so much so that he fully intends to kill Max. This declaration leads to the highlight of the issue. I mentioned earlier that the JLI is really like a family, so like family they often argue. And very realistically so. This issue we see Booster and Nate bump heads. This confrontation exemplifies the character growth that Booster's undergone over the years. It really is a shame that the majority of fans base there perception of him on his younger, greedy, bumbling self presented in the DCAU, but I digress.
He interrupts Nate's "I'm going to KILL MAX LORD!!!" roid rant and flatly tells him to grow "Grow..Up!!!". Killing Max Lord will not be tolerated, no matter what. And If anyone has a right to Lord's head, it's him. He shows maturity (and believable presence) when he explains that they are the good guys, and sometimes, well that just sucks. They're going to capture Max and let the law handle him, but before they turn him over he totally intends to "Beat the living $h1t out of him?!" *cue Mel Gibson voice*. There's that humor I was talking about earlier. We also get a nice sisterly moment between Fire and Ice before the Creature Commandos make an appearance leading to the cliff hanger ending. Almost forgot, Bennet's artwork is great in this issue. And LOVE the cover especially the shine effects on Nate. The way it's constructed gives me that classic Bats spotlighted by the GCPD in his early days feel.
The Bad
The Creature Commandos? had to do a wiki search, weird choice of enemy. The series has a constantly rotating cast of artists so if you're partial to one style you may have to wait a few issues to see that artist back on the scene again...yeah, I'm reaching here. I got no legit complaints :P
The Verdict
BUY THIS COMIC!!!! I can't stress enough how great this title is, mi amigos. Far and away the best team book out there.
