DCU Comic Book Reviews

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #10

The Lightning Saga, Final Chapter

August 2007

Written by Brad Meltzer

Pencils by Ed Benes

Inks by Ed Benes

Covers by Michael Turner and Phil Jimenez

Synopsis

[Continued from Justice Society of America, issue #5]

Five minutes to impact... The Justice League and Justice Society are fighting the Legion of Supe Heroes in the swamp, but Power Girl realizes that it is all a mirage.  The Legion members have already left the area to scatter across the globe to various cities to prepare themselves.  Meanwhile, the JLA and JSA realize that the legion are about to sacrifice one of their own to bring someone else back to life.  The two teams also scatter to find the various Legion members to convince them not to do it.  However, one Legion member is unaccounted for...Karate Kid.  Suddenly, lightning strikes and Wally West, Linda Park, and their kids have come back to New Earth.  The Legion members all disappear to the Fortress of Solitude, although Starman decides to remain with the JSA.  At the Fortress, the Karate Kid is told to stay behind.  Meanwhile, the JSA and JLA welcome Wally back and ask him to join once more the JLA.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

There is a big problem with this issue and it completely undermines the basic plot elements and makes for some bad writing (or plotting).  There are a number of characters in this story, nearly two dozen, although I haven’t counted.  The problem is that Meltzer interweaves the cast in a confusing manner that can make your head spin.  The story juggles back and forth between a whole host of people, with overlapping dialogue and narration boxes.   It can be a struggle just to keep track of who is speaking and what is happening.  Hell, it took a few minutes to determine the identity of narrator on the first page (Black Canary).  And that is the problem:  there is so much going on we don’t get a story, just a bunch of random moments that is supposed to mean something, but doesn’t.  We can’t become invested in the story.  We are too boys trying to keep track of everything, and Meltzer is too busy including everything, that the emotions are lost. 

The underlying story is the return of Wally West and the potential for one of the legion members to die in the attempt.  It could make for some suspense, but with the vast number of characters, this is lost within the story.  When Val decides not to turn on the force field, it doesn’t resonate to the reader that he’s willingly killing himself.  Because of so many characters, do we really care?  Or when he survives, it doesn’t come as a relief.  Actually, it is more like, “now that is stupid.”  All the set up that one legion might die and he survives just by stepping to one side?

Superman’s past with the Legion is another key moment, but it doesn’t resonate because we don’t see it.  Oh, we are told they were friends and they are important, but honestly, we don’t get a chance to witness this.  When Superman feels betrayed, it has no impact on the reader; it just becomes a moment like any other. 

I am all for Wally West (who I don’t think was dead, just lost in the speed force) returning to the DCU.  The story that Meltzer and Johns plotted was all well and good; it just wasn’t that well executed.  The problem is that we don’t know why the Legion would want to return Wally.  There is no explanation for this, at all.  What connection does Wally have to the Legion?  Why is he so important?  A simple moment with the Legion with them saying how bringing this character back will be important for future events would help, but I don’t see that anywhere (and the ending to this issue does state they got the who, but it doesn’t give the why).  Personally, the cynical part of me thinks that Wally was missing for a year just so the DCU can put his family to a place where the twins will be grown up when they return.  Who wants to read about babies?