It's still called R.E.B.E.L.S.?
This book remains one of my current favorites, and one of the only books I buy on a regular basis and as soon as I can on the Wednesday it comes out (I've been known to leave work for a half hour to make a run to the comic store for it). This book is no exception, though not much happens. Dox and the rest of "R.E.B.E.L.S." (which a narration box informs us is the "industry term" for the inner core of L.E.G.I.O.N.) are recovering from the Starro war, for which Despero seems to be getting all the credit, while the people of Maltus are ready to lynch Dox. The story is basically the wrap-up/aftermath of the Starro story and moving into the next storyline, which seems to be the rebuilding of L.E.G.I.O.N. and reclaiming their good name.
This issue is a great example of utilizing continuity without confusing the reader and bringing the story to a dead stop. Recent events (from the previous issue back to the on-going events surrounding Rann/Throneworld/New Rann covered in Starlin's Strange Adventures and Mystery in Space) as well as older history (a brief tour of the Vega system and the history of Tamaran draws from material from Omega Men and New Titans) are used to set the stage of L.E.G.I.O.N.'s new headquarters... which is looking like it will be New Rann, relocated to the ruins of Tamaran.
The real character piece here is Starfire's pilgrimage back to Vega and the remains of Tamaran. Bedard organically uses her recent editorial bootings from Titans and Justice League to establish her as adrift, both emotionally and organizationally. Her reasoning for leaving Earth is a bit odd, as she claims to be depressed over Dick not loving her anymore. This is a plot point that hasn't been dealt with seriously in about 10 years, yet apparently it's been festering. It's a bit confusing at first as it seems to have come out of nowhere, but the more I think about it, the more realistic it seems. The relationship and subsequent breakup of Nightwing and Starfire was pretty major, but writers in the 90s barely touched it when they were establishing Dick in his own title. There would be baggage left over, one assumes, from a broken engagement that Kori never seems to have really dealt with. So, it's a little "out of left field", but ultimately it works.
The artwork is the only thing I take a little issue with. It's by no means poor, in fact St. Aubin is great at drawing emotion into expressions (remind me of Kevin Maguire, in fact). But his sci-fi designs are a little sparse. CiJi morphs into a big monster at one point, but it's the most bland monster you've ever seen. One wonders if this book would benefit from a more object-detailed penciller, but in the meantime I'll gladly take St. Aubin.
