Justice League of America

   

I have to let all of you know that I have removed and added this book on my pull list.  I swore that I was done before the JLA/JSA crossover began and ended up getting that and I have to say I did not really like it much.  I got really sick of the JLA issues (the JSA issues were much better) and all the dialogue boxes.  I like them if used properly but the Robinson run has taken them to a whole new level and that isn't a good thing.  So why am I buying and reading JLA #49 well I kind of got the book for a deal and it was actually recommended by my LCS's owner.  He too has not enjoyed the book of late and was pleased with this issue as was  
 
What is right?  The story was a one and done that harkened back to an old Titan villain.  Yes, to all those who don't think this are a legit League I said a Titan villain.  The Team is legit and I have never had an issue with the Titans growing into the League, natural course of events.  I in fact like the team very much, I do however feel that we do need at least one other member of the big 7 on board.  I count Dick as Batman as a major here as all of you should.  Grant Morrison has made many of us believers over the last year or so.  But hey Bucky is in the Avengers so Dick is in the JLA.  I digress.   The story is great and fun.  It shows an unencumbered non-Brightest day or other event driven story.  Though it did mention those but it was natural and not forced.  I love Robinson as a writer but have not enjoyed many of the issue that he has produced on this title.  Did the story of Donna and Jade show me something that was missing previously?  Yes, most definitely!  The story flowed and felt like a JLA story, which most before have not.  And that dear reader is the crux of my issue with this series.  I want good Justice League stories.  Ones that show what Earth's greatest heroes going up against equally great villains.  Not stories tied to anything.  I can take them in my mind and figure out where it may fall in the DC continuity time line.  I don't need it force fed to me.   
 
The art on this issue was an improvement for Pow Rodix's previous Endeavour in the Second Feature.  While it is still widely inconsistent so too has Bagely's art on previous issues.  In fact I do believe I like Pow better.  Some panels where just beautiful.  Oh!  and no saggy boots on Donna!  Score! 
 
With a good story and good art this book is 4 out of 5.  I came away happy after I read it and I will give #50 a try. 

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 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 in some 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 to spin them to be much more interesting than they ever were. 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 what's likely going to be a double-sized 50th issue.

The Good: Wow, I have absolutely no idea who The Boogeyman was but holy shit, I will already never forget him. Robinson manages to write one of the most seriously messed up villains outside of Batman. Boogeyman seriously makes your skin crawl. 
The whole transition from backstory to battle, to burst of inspiration is one long amazing scene. The into of Boogeyman right before shit hits the fan makes it really obvious, but this is one case where it works brilliantly. 
Jade's complete mental breakdown is an extremely heavy scene, even for me who knows next to nothing about the character. 
What ends up happening to Boogeyman is even more ominous. 
We get to see some more interaction between Dick and Kara. It's a nice little side-note to bookend the horrible tragedy happening in the middle, it almost feels like a co-feature, thus making this issue actually worth the extra buck. 
The little scene where we get to see all of the JLA and what they're doing was a superb scene. The way everyone's dialogue mirrors each others with slight changes is almost like a game of telephone. It's brilliant.  
THANK YOU. Jade's mission is over. Therefore, this is no longer a 'Brightest Day' tie-in. It was weird because the solicit seemed to state otherwise, but I'm not complaining, I'm glad that it makes sense here.
 
The Bad: Cover sucks ass. It's a really static generic 'we're fighting but it looks more like we're about to fight' cover that just seems boring and lazy imo. 
Despite all the crazy emotions running high in this issue, nothing can save it from being what it is. A filler issue to bridge the gap between The Dark Things and the epic Return of the CSA #50 Special setting of the next story arc. It doesn't exactly feel like it should be an issue of JLA, more like an issue of... like, Members of the JLA, or something. 
The issue title is lazy as hell. The name of the villain. Wow, way to be creative. Try being a little clever. The Dark Things even though it was pretty obvious was still interesting and poetic and had multiple levels to its meaning. 
 
In Conclusion: 4/5 
It's a good issue. It's a collection of little things meant to fill up the space between the big crossover and the big issue 50 special start of an epic arc, but Robinson fills the issue with cake and win rather than stuff and fluff. If you felt iffy about The Dark Things, this may be the issue that could finally turn you back on to Justice League of America. I honestly only got it because I'm ocd. I had The Dark Things, and CSA showing up next arc is the only reason I'm sticking with the series. I expected a lame little half-assed middle of stuff issue but I was pleasantly surprised by this high quality comic.

This issues spotlights Donna Troy and (to a lesser extent) Jade as they start to think about life following the events of the last year or so. (Cry For Justice, Blackest Night and the Black Lanterns and Brightest Day and The Starheart) The issue sees the pair building their friendship as they fight one of Donna's old Teen Titans foes, the Bogeyman. 
 
The Good 
I'd like to start by saying that I've enjoyed the recent Justice League of America issues a fair bit since the new team (finally) got nailed down but the recent crossover started taking a downward turn. That said this issue has a lot going for it and really shows that Robinson does indeed know what he's doing with these characters. One of the biggest criticisms of the recent crossover arc was that Donna Troy wasn't written as a very well rounded character. Some put this down to bad writing whilst others put it down to the huge number of characters getting face time in the massive crossover. This issue really proves that it was the latter. Donna Troy is written not only as the strong, willful warrior but also as the caring friend who is trying to move past all the darkness that she has endured recently. Robinson's handling of the character is spot on and whilst she has no patience or pity for the sleazy Bogeyman the fighting in the piece takes a back seat as her true strength is shown to be her will power and her love for her friends. The pacing of the overall story is also really well crafted with a good mix of action, back story and character building dialog that didn't leave you feel bored at any point. The art also facilitated this very nicely showing beautiful backdrops when little action is occurring along side some superb panels(i particularly liked the panel showing the numerous onomatopoeias)when it is. These panels really made the action both intense and meaningful with nice design decisions (like one armed Speedy). It all meshed into a very nice story which felt self-contained, short, but not rushed. The Super Girl and Batman Prologue and Epilogue also reminds you that this is a team book allowing you to see that not only Donna and Jade building their relationship but also Kara and Dick. 
 
The Bad 
The main thing I think might bother people is the lack of real team dynamic in this issue. You really only see two characters in the main plot with another two picking up the first and last couple of pages. Starman, Congorilla and Jesse Quick have only a single panel each which merely serves to knowledge their existence. For those who were looking for more big team action they may be disappointed. I also am still not taken with Jade as a character. Whether this is something to do with the writing or just the characters herself I can't quite place but she doesn't seem all that interesting in this issue and serves more to help show how good Donna is than to show her in her own right. 
 
The Verdict - 4.5/5
After a disappointing end to the previous arc this issue really picks the standard back up to the standard I had been enjoying on the 2 or 3 issue before the crossover. The fact that the story is self contained, well written and proves that Robinson knows what he's doing with these characters means that this book really feels like it is worth reading. Donna Troy is written superbly here and allows character who aren't familiar with the character to get to know her a bit(including major events in her history) in a natural and fluid way. It is also a good read for those who know and enjoy Donna already. The only real flaw in this issue is the lack of any big team action but that is something I don't see many complaining about as the story is so well written. 
Overall, a refreshing read that doesn't require lots of previous knowledge, fills the gap between the previous and next multi-issue stories and develops a character who has recently been criticised. A solid 4.5/5 that is only let down by the lack of a large team.  
 
Pick it up if you want to enjoy a story independent to the Brightest Day event or you enjoy the Justice League of America or Donna Troy.

Story: The beginning starts off with Supergirl working with Batman and then they go to lunch. Donna and Jenny are flying around San Francisco. They were called over to Alkatraz because something is wrong with Shadow Thief. Word got around the prison that Donna was in the city and so one of the prisoners has requested to see her. The prisoner is Bogeyman and she has some bad history with him. Bogeyman tapped into the minds of children and tortured them with their fears and just about anything. Donna beat the hell out of him but it wasn't enough. Donna and Jenny leave and the Titans fly over to them to say hello. The Titans start to fight Donna and her dead husband and son go after her. Jenny is being harassed by cloud images of her loved ones and is being tortured by Bogeyman also. Her black lantern form appears and taunts her. Donna realizes what's going on so she fights back. She has a connection to Bogeyman's mind and travels to it and then to Jenny's to save her. Jenny and Donna stop Bogeyman fly away. At the end Kara and Dick go fight some crime.
Writing: I am a huge fan of Donna Troy and I thought this story was really cool. I loved the whole past with Bogeyman being brought out. I didn't like that this was just a one issue story. One issue stories tend to feel not needed and over looked and that's the problem I had with this issue. I really wanted to see Kara in action in this issue but her part was very small and almost unnecessary. The story was good though.
Characters: I really enjoy Jenny and Donna's friendship. It was pretty cool to see Black lantern Jade but it really meant nothing.
Dialogue: Donna had some pretty strong dialogue in this issue which I liked, but Jenny just seemed weak in this issue.
 
Art: Pretty good.
Cover: Mark Bagley's cover was really cool and I missed his art in this issue.
Penciling: The penciling wasn't bad in this issue. I thought Kara looked gorgeous.
Coloring: I thought it was a little too bright.
 
My favorite scene!
I think that it was when Donna just started to fight back against Bogeyman because this showed that she was holding back a lot of frustration and I thought it was cool.
 
Reasons to and not to pick up.
Reasons to pick up: This was a good story. The art was pretty good. I thought that Donna really shined in this issue and I am a huge Donna Troy fan.
Reasons not to pick up: This issue felt unnecessary but it was still good. Jenny was weak in this issue and she shouldn't have needed Donna to make her fight her own battle. 
Verdict: Pick it up. 4 out of 5.

I really liked the art in this issue.  The story seemed a little silly and pointless but I really loved the clash of the teams and how Donna fought through everything.  I love seeing Donna and Wonder Girl battle it out.  I think that's probably why I really liked this issue.  I do really like JLA but this issue was certainly pointless in the end.  If not for the great art I probably would have dropped the ranking even farther.

Story:Boogeyman gets im Donna and Jade's minds.
 
The Good
The notion of superheroes get against their worst nightmares is something we have seen really much times but this kind of story is from Robinson who finally gets up with the JLA and does good stories with them.Robinson takes the story between Donna Troy and the Boogeyman to some sick perverted way.He establishes the character of Boogeyman more than he is and takes him to new level because he now can get in the mind of more grown-ups.The way Donna gets out of the catch of Boogeyman is all about will and is amazing.
 
The artwork is really nice and shows you good views.
 
The Bad
The story of Dick Grayson and Supergirl I think should be established more and it is really bad with is done with it because we get each issue of their story how they are going to form their own Worlds Finnest team and a little bit romance betwen them and some more development.
 
Overall:James Robinson finally gets his place in the JLA book and takes some lame supervillain to a whole new level.
4/5