DCU Comic Book Reviews

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Let There Be Lightning

June 2008

Written by Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns

Pencils by George Perez, Doug Mahnke, Tony S. Daniel, Ivan Reis, Aaron Lopresti, Philip Tan, Ed Benes, Carlos Pacheco, JG Jones

Inks by Scott Koblish, Christian Alamy, Tony S. Daniel, Oclair Albert, Mat Ryan, Jeff de los Santos, Ed Benes, Jesus Merino, JG Jones

Synopsis

Once, there was the Justice League of America.  Then there was a Crisis that destroyed the multiverse and another crisis that brought the multiverse back followed by the Final Crisis.  Even a thousand years into the future and the Legion of Super Heroes could not escape the crisis.  There is good.  There is evil.  There is war.  There is peace.  There is the brightest light.  There is the blackest night.  There is vengeance.  There is redemption.  And there is Libra, who will balance the books in the name of the new god.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

At the very least, before I started to read this issue, I knew it was meant to be an advertisement for the next year’s worth of stories in the DC universe, so I can’t be annoyed by the scattershot approach of the text.  What I found strangely amusing is that right after the two or three pages serving as the tease for the readers, we also get actual an advertisement for that story.  Whether or not these stories will actually get readers to buy books they otherwise normally wouldn’t buy, will vary from person to person.  All I know is that I’ll get them all and then review them for this site.  In that sense, I am not the target audience for the book. 

The biggest question to arise out of this issue is the ending.  Does the ending suggest that Barry Allen has finally returned to the DC universe?  There was an article in the newspaper in which the reporter’s sources indicated that was the case.  In the same article, Johns and Morrison were quoted, but neither admitted to Allen’s return.  Of course, the only way something like this issue could get into the news is if the PR department at DC told the newspaper what to print.  So, is DC playing coy about Allen or is it misdirection?  Personally, my view after reading this issue is Libra is Barry Allen.  Since I am not entirely attached to Barry’s character, making him the villain of the next Big Thing doesn’t really bother me.  If anything it makes a little bit of sense as Morrison has the built-in mechanism (Barry realizes what he is doing is wrong and changes his mind) for the ending. 

It is also worth noting that at one time Countdown to Final Crisis was supposed to end with issue #0 and then lead into Final Crisis, which is what this special issue does.  Except for the fact that this issue has nothing to do with Countdown.  At one point Captain Cold refers to the last year being hell, but aren’t most of the years actually pretty hellish?  So, no connection to Countdown, which makes one wonder (even more than usual) what the hell Countdown was counting down to? 

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Last updated: 08/06/11.