It ain’t easy being a new superhero!
Creative Staff:
Story: Steve Orlando
Art: Andy McDonald
Colors: John Rauch
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
What They Say:
“MYTHIC” part two! Aegeus’s mythic horde continues to steamroll over the battered landscape of Penn City, and the only thing standing in their path is…the Atom?? Also: Lobo is laid out, his healing factor neutralized, and the only thing that could possibly save him requires a level of violence that we may not be allowed to print!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
If there’s one thing that this Justice League of America series can do to win me over to it more than other teams books, it’s smaller arcs and standalone stories thrown into the mix. Steve Orlando gave us a four-issue opening arc and then gave us a two-part story here that helped to firm up things by the end for the League itself. The opening arc was one that already felt a touch too long so seeing the ease in which smaller adventures can happen, and a bigger focus on the characters themselves, is definitely appealing. Orlando’s work with Andy McDonald also comes across well here as I like his handle on Lobo but also just the fun and creativity of the light armor that the gang got to wear this time around. Add in that big two-panel spread early on with a cacophony of action and there’s a lot of detail to take in and enjoy.
The focus in taking down Aegeus this time around is fairly straightforward and I liked the overall approach of the arc, even if it’s very superficial in dealing with the issues at hand both within the fight and as an epilogue. You can easily imagine a lot of villains gaining support of all kinds simply by stepping into places where the good guys and the world has seemingly ignored or forgotten and establishing a real foothold and some loyalty. That isn’t a huge thing here as the loyalty is more out of fear, but also fear of a lack of food and survival. The main thrust of the book provides for some good fights as Batman and the League work to take down Aegeus and the interactions with the residents of the tow is important to brought to the forefront, even if it is as I said fairly superficial.
Where this issue worked a bit better is in dealing with some of the more problematic characters on the team. Frost is still obviously struggling with her role and place in things and we see her getting a bit intense, but also pulling back because she realizes it and doesn’t want that path, which is a huge thing even if Dinah doesn’t see it. We also get to see Ryan starting to take a better handle on things when it comes to the fights and while he’s not playing dirty per se, he is using his powers in creative ways to win the day and save others. That’s similar to what Ray is dealing with when it comes to Lobo since he has to save him but it requires going against what he thinks is right. Part of that was a kind of false story since all we needed was Lobo to just say how his body would handle things but that would eliminate the drama. Lobo’s taking on a kind of amusing mentor type role with Ryan and Ray and that has some neat possibilities to it.
In Summary:
The JLA book is one that still feels weird to me and I’m not sure how well it’s coming together yet. I like the characters involved but the stories haven’t grabbed me with what they have to deal with. This one does some good stuff in drawing in one of those that worked for Aegeus in order to beef up the base and that has a lot of potential. Frost looks to be the main focus for the next piece, however long that is, and I’m enjoying the focus on her and the other newer types like Ryan and Ray as it gives the book a little more uncertainty and room to grow compared to working with Lobo, Batman, or Dinah. I’m still simply not sold on this book in a big way but I’m curious still to see where it’ll go.
Grade: B-
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: DC Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: May 10th, 2017
MSRP: $2.99
