Starman/Congorilla

The Good: Normally I don't like Brett Booth's art all that much. It's not bad art by any means, it's just not my taste. I don't know what it was, but as the issue progressed either the writing was immersive enough that I didn't notice the art, or the art got better. Either way, this issue made me a lot less nervous about BB taking over art duties in JLA. 
A lot of this issue is an excellent recap of some of the more obscure major event of the DCU as of recent years. 
There's a lot of obscure or less appreciated characters drawn into the story, and I found myself being interested in pretty much each one of them. 
There was some great comedy sprinkled through the whole thing. 
Congorilla and Starman make a good duo. I'm afraid if they stay in the JLA their significance may be diluted. They work much better when they're together, the dialogue between the 2 was very good, and I found myself much more interested in them than I have been before. If they got their own title I would probably get it.
 
The Bad: Whenever a Gorilla was talking, whatever font they used made it hard to tell the difference between periods and commas. This made some of the dialogue pretty choppy, and required the rereading of several sentences to piece together the flow of the dialogue, which screwed with the pacing when I had to keep stopping myself. 
Part of me feels like it's trying too hard to be Generation Lost. Congorilla and Starman are tromping across the globe following bits and pieces of various information and touching upon more obscure characters. In one regard, it did succeed in making me interested in many of them, but I couldn't shake the feeling that this was a heavily watered down version of the better of 2 Justice League titles currently running, especially when you consider James Robinson IS the writer of JLA. (But hey, at least his run has been the best on this current JLA series so far.) 
The narrative kept slipping back and forth between 'Now' and 'Then.' For the most part it was pretty cleverly done, as pieces of the past revealed pieces of the present simultaneously, but at some point down the line it got overwhelming and I couldn't decide which part was supposed to be 'the main story' so I didn't know which one I thought should run on longer. 
They spent this whole issue gathering this team together for one mission. The thing is, I was really getting enthusiastic about the team they had, and there was even a huge theme running in it. Congorilla, Malavar, Rex the Wonder Dog, Animal Man, and finally Tasmanian Devil? This is heavily 'Animal' based team. And I loved it. There was a huge amount of potential set up here, but as far as I can tell there wont be any payoff. I feel a bit cheated that Robinson set up such a fun team that personally I think he's written as a more interesting team than the current JLA, and yet it seems clear this team won't be a team, and I'm pretty let down by that fact. 
 
In Conclusion: 3.5/5 
When all is said and done, I really liked this. Brett Booth is making me come around to his art, and despite it being a bit of a struggle to get though at first, being really wordy at the start, that grimace barely persisted more than a page or 2 as I was soon drawn into the short but fun odyssey these 2 were taking around the DCU. I say give this a chance, because if this book gets enough support I think DC might start treating these characters better. I think their potential is wasted in the JLA. People care more about the characters they already know in a title like that, and JLA is a book for big battles, not fleshing out new characters. I would honestly love to see them in a duo title, or with the team they gathered together in this issue, because there's clearly a lot of potential for some good character development and an overall well functioning team. The characters all work together extremely well, on both a combat level, and on an analytical level. What drags down the score the most is the fact that this issue feels like a gigantic tease. And I'd be fine with that, if it weren't for the fact that there's 0 evidence that the thing being teased will ever actually exist.

Every cloud has its silver lining, I suppose.  I've just begun hearing (mostly from a certain hilarious internet series) of James Robinson's lackluster JLA: Cry for Justice series.  The one bright spot I could see emerging from that series was the unlikely friendship of Mikaal Tomas and Congorilla, two fairly obscure heroes given new purpose in the expanding DC Universe.  I guess this team has proved fairly popular because out of seemingly NOWHERE comes Starman/Congorilla #1, and while this is unfortunately seeming to be a one-shot (which it would have been greatly appreciated if it would say as much on the cover), it uses its precious few pages to spin a wholly entertaining tale filled with laughs, action, and under-appreciated heroes galore. 

 A motley crew indeed... 

Running concurrently with the Omega storyline going on in JLA right now, we're reunited with the dynamic duo of Mikaal Tomas and Congorilla.  Mikaal's fallen on some tough times as he's attempting to drown the grief he's feeling from his boyfriend, Tony's, death.  Congo Bill, duty bound as he is, however, seeks out his troubled buddyto help with the crises effecting the league, namely an energy barrier that has them and the White House staff (as well as some villains) trapped inside.  The story unfolds as the team seeks out clues to the location of ape scientist, Malavar, who likely has the solution to the League's plight.  Mik and Bill aren't alone, however, as they enlist the help of Rex the Wonder Dog and Animal Man to help track down the wayward gorilla.  This eventually leads to a knock down, drag out fight between the impromptu team and a band of blood-thirsty gorilla terrorists.  I probably don't need to stress how ridiculously awesome that notion is. 
 
And based on that story summary, you can probably immediately see what the comic's biggest strength is.  It is just plain fun.  Writing duties are covered by the incomparable James Robinson, and he injects the story with a sharp wit and fluidity.  What makes the story work is just how "straight" Robinson writes the whole thing.  The heroes need to get directions to a Lazarus Pit from a dog?  Robinson makes sure that heroes roll with this and don't ever point out the utter absurdity.  There is a more heartfelt sub-plot regarding Mikaal's debauchery and self-destruction, but luckily it's not thrust down the reader's throat.  Instead, it is somewhat under-stated, mostly to the benefit of the comic. 

 Hits and Misses 

The artwork by Brett Booth also does a fantastic job of fleshing out the story as "seriuz bizness".  Seriously, I don't know what I can say about it other than it's solid.  His characterization is spot on, and the big ape-filled rumble at comic's end is injected with a good chaotic feel, while still highlighting the strengths of each character.  It couldn't have been easy to make a dog look like he's convincingly winning a fight with a group of apes, but Booth pulls that, and many other action shots off convincingly. 
 
The only problems I had with this book were the lack of finality, yet the probability that there really WON'T be a continuation of these characters in the spotlight.  It's true, the team finishes their task, but they go off to join a fray which, in its actual portrayal, probably won't involve them.  Also, the Mikaal sub-plot about him being troubled, again, just kind of ends.  It's never resolved in a convincing fashion, it's just kinda like, "Hey, Mikaal.  Are you okay now?"  "Yeah".  That must seem like a hyperbole, or like I'm being clever, but it's honestly how the sub-plot concludes.  Also, although I said Booth's art is solid, he does seem to have a problem greatly distinguishing the many male characters from one another in face and body-type.  It's actually probably to his advantage that so many of the characters here are actually animal in nature. 

 TALLY HO! 

This needs to be a series.  Honestly, this is what is so great about comic books, delivering ludicrous stories in a semi-serious manner.  I really want to see the further adventures of these two, but sadly it probably won't happen.  If you're looking for something different, this is going to be right up your alley.  Hell, if you just want something extremely fun, pick up this thing for $2.99.  It's a full of obscure characters, whimsy, and gorilla terrorists.  What's not to like? 
 
Starman/Congorilla #1 gets 4 out of 5 stars.  Check it out if you're at all curious.

Counted as part of James Robinson's JLA run, this oneshot stands as his best issue so far. On top of that, it is also probably the best story to come out of the events of the notorious Cry for Justice limited series. 
 
Back when Cry for Justice was just getting started, Robinson made the bold claim that he was establishing a new Blue and Gold duo with Mikaal Tomas and Congorilla. Then, Cry for Justice finished its run, Robinson moved on into his run on Justice League of America and the promise of a new Blue and Gold seemed like it had fallen by the wayside. Yes, both characters were around but the sense of their dynamic was very minimal. It has not been until this issue that they have really felt established as the JLA's new Blue and Gold. 
 
One of the strengths of this story is how naturally it develops from what Robinson's done before and how naturally it fits with what Robinson is doing right now. Nothing about it really feels forced or like a reaction to the backlash Cry for Justice received, and that leaves me able to believe Robinson when he says this was always the plan. 
 
Robinson sure loves his exposition, though. Characters going off on tangents to explain past events is something to expect from his writing, and it is certainly on display here. However, it is not altogether bad in Robinson's case. Half the time the dialogue really does not read naturally, and you are usually very aware that it is exposition you're reading. But sometimes, it is interesting exposition, which leads me to one of the things worth enjoying about Robinson's writing. He really embraces the idea of writing within a large shared universe. With all of the references to other events happening and guest appearances, he really makes the universe feel alive. A lot of it may not be integral to the story at hand, but that really is part of what is so enjoyable about it. Shadowpact's search for Nightshade may not be a story we ever see. Yet, it is just fun to acknowledge that those characters are still out there in the DC Universe keeping busy. 
 
There is something distracting about Brett Booth's art. At times, it is actually pretty good and appealing. But there are these times when he is drawing people that they look so awkwardly thin and tall like they have been stretched out from head to toe. 
 
Something that drags this issue down a little is that when you step back and look at it in the greater context of Robinson's JLA work, this is not great storytelling. This is a story that picks up a plot thread that has been hanging loose since midway through Cry for Justice and does so in a random oneshot outside of the Justice League of America ongoing series. What is up with that? It is not as though the main title has been too occupied dealing with more important and relevant stories than the Cry for Justice fallout of two of its main characters. Rather than getting condensed into a oneshot, this is a story that would have been better told in the ongoing series. The first half of this issue seems like it is just playing catch-up on what should have been happening in the series thus far. 
 
All in all, it is a strong issue that finally works toward fulfilling one of the promises of Cry for Justice. The art style and exposition do have their problems, but the effect they have on diminishing the story is minor. This is a good adventure story in which the characters involved all come out looking good.
 
...Where do Tasmanian Devil's pants come from? Can someone tell me that?