From: mickey@pecan.cns.udel.edu (Mickey)
Subject: McReviews: JLA #72
Organization: University of Delaware, Newark
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 21:17:24 GMT


Hmm, strange things happening over in Justice League America #72.



The Rating System:
***** - Life doesn't get any better than this...
****  - Hey, things are looking darn good...
***   - Not bad, everything looks okay...
**    - Beginning to feel a bit ill...
*     - Call 911



Title:  Justice League America #72
Publisher:  DC
Writer:  Dan Jurgens
Artist:  Dan Jurgens and Rick Burchett

Rating:  Story **1/2; Art ***; Overall 3/5

Commentary:

What the hell is going on here?  We pick up in part one of a story 
entitled "Destiny's Hand", but we are very obviously not dealing with
the Justice League we're familiar with.  Martian Manhunter, Hawkman,
Flash, Atom, Green Lantern, Green Arrow and others are the core of 
what is a violent Justice League attempting to take over the Earth from
the looks of things.  Quite refreshing for Dan Jurgens, whose recent
contributions to the DC mythos don't even deserve to be mentioned much
less critiqued.

Jurgens' art is about average this issue.  Some of the action scenes
seem a bit stilted, but overall the characters seem to have a nice
feel to them.

Synopsis:

The Justice League roster mentioned above is apparently out to enforce
its idea of order in the world.  We start this issue by watching them
take down Star Sapphire, the Wizard, Blockbuster, Plantmaster, and Sinestro
without much of a problem.  This is my major complaint with this issue.
The League doesn't even work up a sweat.  Sinestro escapes, but is
captured far too easily (by Hawkman even!).  During Sinestro's capture
and following torture (yes, Hawkman orders Sinestro tortured to death and
takes his ring as his own), we learn that Green Arrow is not happy with
how things are going and he even argues with the rest of the League about
their brutal methods.

The fight occurs in Gotham City, where we see Jim Gordon protest the
Justice League and their methods to the team.  They ignore him and
leave, and Gordon ends up summoning Batman for the first time in two
years.  However, in what I consider to be a bit of bad characterization,
Batman seems to condone the League's methods and departs.  (Of course,
I was more interested in seeing Batman become determined to take them
down.  Very few members of the League are following any true
characterization :)  .)
 
Flash and Atom end up nuking China when that country attempts to take
out the JLA Satellite with nuclear missiles.  The League writes the
incident off as acceptable since China wouldn't participate in its 
program.  The President of the United States has a break down and the
JLA installs Hal Jordon, who happened to be Vice-President as President
for the time being.

The mystery deepens at the end where we see Doctor Destiny screaming
in a cell in Arkham Asylum.  The story continues next issue, so we
have to wait a month to start getting answers.

For recent JLA, this is decent.  It seems to have nothing to do with the
rather uninteresting new JLA that was introduced last issue.  Although
this storyline may prove to be an interesting distraction, I don't expect
to be buying any more JLA issues once it's done.


Mick

 
-- 
Mickey McCarter, amatuer actor & reporter |mickey@chopin.udel.edu     __
"Law?  This is the only law.  The law	  |mickey@pecan.cns.udel.edu / |
 of averages." - Harvey Dent, Batman: TAS |Weep not for Camelot	    /__|_
Existential Disclaimer: Believe what you like, nothing matters	       |