...or maybe I can.
DC just announced that, come late August (and the return of Bruce Wayne to present time), they will not be changing the Justice League lineup.
For those of you unfamiliar with the current Justice Leaguers, its Batman (Dick Grayson), Donna Troy, Mon-el, Starfire, Cyborg, Green Arrow, the Atom, Hal Jordan, Dr. Light (who may or may not have quit the team), the Gaurdian, and Congorilla.
If you don't have a clue who some of these people are, you aren't alone. I did pick up the first couple of issues of "Cry for Justice" (what this lineup seems to be based on). They were decent, but not good enough to escape being dropped in favor of another Bat-title.
I understand the Dick Grayson, Mon-el, and Donna Troy characters as stand-ins for the Trinity, and also to some extent Green Arrow (although he's gone now), Hal Jordan, and the Atom. But seriously, who the hell is Congorilla? And how did the Justice League become a second title for the Titans? With a random gorilla and some C-listers thrown in, of course.
My biggest problem with this is the fact that even after the Big Three come back in August, they're still going to keep the B-listers on the A-team (no pun intended). The Justice League is for the mainstays. That's just how it is--sorry to all who argue for the "natural progression" of sidekick-to-mentor. It's a comic book, and things just don't work out that well.
We've had the Titans, Teen Titans, and Outsiders. Those teams have become just as large as the Justice League. For the creators to say that they're "validating" the characters by putting them in the JLA undoes all of the work they've done to make the other teams integral parts of the DCU.
Also, why in the world would the Trinity not be given back their spots? It doesn't make sense. This is a bad decision, mark my words.
P.S. Can anyone with a larger Wonder Woman background than me tell me where the heck she went? I know about Bruce Wayne, obviously, and Superman's on New Krypton, but the details of why Wonder Woman vanished have eluded me.
Showing posts with label Justice League. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Justice League. Show all posts
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Quick Reviews
Short reviews of the six comics I bought this week, all semi-Batman related.
JLA: Cry for Justice. #1, #2
Rating: 7.5/10
It's always nice to see Hal Jordan and Green Arrow together. They're just funny. Supposedly Batwoman (yippee) is showing up later.
Gotham City Sirens #2
Rating: 8/10
Definitely not what I was expecting, but better. Selina's a good liar, and the Talia connection is interesting. I wish there was more in this issue, though. But Hush kidnapping Harley? Great.
Batgirl #1
Rating: 9.5/10
Yes! Stephanie Brown takes her rightful role as a member of the Batfamily. They packed a lot into this issue, and it totally works. The only thing I didn't like is that Barbra Gordon's thought boxes are green. I never thought of her having a defined color, but green?
Titans #16
Rating: 6.5/10
This is where the "Starfire kissing Batman" picture came from, but unfortunately it was a dream. I don't think Starfire will be around much longer.
Streets of Gotham #3
Rating: 8/10
Tommy Elliot is a good villain. I'll give him that. A very though-provoking issue. He's got Dick and Damian stuck. ("A nice middle finger at the Wayne legacy" great line) There's a cool shot of a bunch of heroes in the Elliot manor.
JLA: Cry for Justice. #1, #2
Rating: 7.5/10
It's always nice to see Hal Jordan and Green Arrow together. They're just funny. Supposedly Batwoman (yippee) is showing up later.
Gotham City Sirens #2
Rating: 8/10
Definitely not what I was expecting, but better. Selina's a good liar, and the Talia connection is interesting. I wish there was more in this issue, though. But Hush kidnapping Harley? Great.
Batgirl #1
Rating: 9.5/10
Yes! Stephanie Brown takes her rightful role as a member of the Batfamily. They packed a lot into this issue, and it totally works. The only thing I didn't like is that Barbra Gordon's thought boxes are green. I never thought of her having a defined color, but green?
Titans #16
Rating: 6.5/10
This is where the "Starfire kissing Batman" picture came from, but unfortunately it was a dream. I don't think Starfire will be around much longer.
Streets of Gotham #3
Rating: 8/10
Tommy Elliot is a good villain. I'll give him that. A very though-provoking issue. He's got Dick and Damian stuck. ("A nice middle finger at the Wayne legacy" great line) There's a cool shot of a bunch of heroes in the Elliot manor.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
JLA/JLU Batman Episodes
Injustice for All (2 pt, JLA):
The basic plot is that Lex Luthor starts an Injustice Gang and The JLA takes him down. Batman is featured in this episode.
--Rating: 7.5/10
--Although this is a Batman centric episode (and therefore rocks), he comes off almost weak-looking in comparison to everyone else. First he's poisoned, then the Joker manages to sneak up on him, hit him with a bag of bricks, and capture him. In episode 2, he redeems himself by making it seem like he planned it all. There's a fabulous scene where he manipulates Cheetah into alerting the JLA that there's a bomb on the Watchtower.
Twilight (2 pt, JLA)
Plot: Darksied comes to the Watchtower asking for help because Brainiac is attacking Apokolips. It's of course a ploy, and the JLA has to take down both villians.
--Rating: 9/10
--Featured in this episode is how Batman and Superman interact and it came off perfectly.There's a scene where Batman reads Superman the riot act about not wanting to help Darkseid, and its wonderful. Also, the last ten minutes of the storyline are all almost exclusively Superman/Batman. The only downside to this is an overdone fight scene between three members of the JLA and Brainiac.
This Little Piggy (1 pt, JLU)
Plot: Wonder Woman (who Batman is in a romantic relationship with) is turned into a pig by Circe and Batman has to get her turned back.
--Rating: 5.5/10
--WONDER WOMAN?! No...just no. I didn't like it when they did it in the comics, I don't like it here. The basic story is pretty good, but Batman comes off very out of character. And (spolier alert here) he SINGS. "Am I Blue", to be exact. In front of a room full of people.
A Better World (2 pt, JLA)
Plot: In parallel universe, the JLA took over the world, convinced they could wipe out injustice and in the process became dictators. That universe's Batman built a portal to see another dimensions, and found the regular universe. They captured the real heroes and imprisoned them in the other world so they could bring "justice" to this one.
--Rating: 9.5/10
--Wow. This was just a great episode. Superman kills Luthor (AU Superman), Batman talks to Batman (fabulous scene, that one), and the Justice League explores Arkham Asylum. To tell more would spoil the plot. You must see this episode, even if you never watch another.
For The Man Who Has Everything (1 pt, JLU)
Plot: Batman and Wonder Woman go to the Fortress of Solitude for Superman's birthday, and end up battling Mongul.
--Rating: 8/10
--This is a really good episode, just for the fact that it shows Batman can hold his own against these superpowered menaces. It spends a little too long in Superman's fantasy world (brought on by the Black Mercy), but I guess I feel that way because I'm not a Superman fan. There's also some nice dialouge between Batman and Wonder Woman at the beginning.
The basic plot is that Lex Luthor starts an Injustice Gang and The JLA takes him down. Batman is featured in this episode.
--Rating: 7.5/10
--Although this is a Batman centric episode (and therefore rocks), he comes off almost weak-looking in comparison to everyone else. First he's poisoned, then the Joker manages to sneak up on him, hit him with a bag of bricks, and capture him. In episode 2, he redeems himself by making it seem like he planned it all. There's a fabulous scene where he manipulates Cheetah into alerting the JLA that there's a bomb on the Watchtower.
Twilight (2 pt, JLA)
Plot: Darksied comes to the Watchtower asking for help because Brainiac is attacking Apokolips. It's of course a ploy, and the JLA has to take down both villians.
--Rating: 9/10
--Featured in this episode is how Batman and Superman interact and it came off perfectly.There's a scene where Batman reads Superman the riot act about not wanting to help Darkseid, and its wonderful. Also, the last ten minutes of the storyline are all almost exclusively Superman/Batman. The only downside to this is an overdone fight scene between three members of the JLA and Brainiac.
This Little Piggy (1 pt, JLU)
Plot: Wonder Woman (who Batman is in a romantic relationship with) is turned into a pig by Circe and Batman has to get her turned back.
--Rating: 5.5/10
--WONDER WOMAN?! No...just no. I didn't like it when they did it in the comics, I don't like it here. The basic story is pretty good, but Batman comes off very out of character. And (spolier alert here) he SINGS. "Am I Blue", to be exact. In front of a room full of people.
A Better World (2 pt, JLA)
Plot: In parallel universe, the JLA took over the world, convinced they could wipe out injustice and in the process became dictators. That universe's Batman built a portal to see another dimensions, and found the regular universe. They captured the real heroes and imprisoned them in the other world so they could bring "justice" to this one.
--Rating: 9.5/10
--Wow. This was just a great episode. Superman kills Luthor (AU Superman), Batman talks to Batman (fabulous scene, that one), and the Justice League explores Arkham Asylum. To tell more would spoil the plot. You must see this episode, even if you never watch another.
For The Man Who Has Everything (1 pt, JLU)
Plot: Batman and Wonder Woman go to the Fortress of Solitude for Superman's birthday, and end up battling Mongul.
--Rating: 8/10
--This is a really good episode, just for the fact that it shows Batman can hold his own against these superpowered menaces. It spends a little too long in Superman's fantasy world (brought on by the Black Mercy), but I guess I feel that way because I'm not a Superman fan. There's also some nice dialouge between Batman and Wonder Woman at the beginning.