DCU Comic Book Reviews

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #30

Welcome to Sundown Town, Chapter Three: New Moon Rising

April 2009

Written by Len Wein

Pencils by Jose Luis

Inks by JP Mayer

Cover by Shane Davis

Synopsis

On the Watchtower, Hawkman tells the league that the Shadow Thief has tapped into an immense source of power and has the ability to manipulate shadows and teleport through them.  In fact, the Shadow Thief teleports through Hawkman’s shadow into the Watchtower.  Suddenly, the league’s shadows rise up to fight.  In space, Icon and Superman hear the commotion and rush to join the battle.  In Metropolis, the home of Kimiyo Hoshi (Dr. Light), Batman is holding members of the Shadow Cabinet in custody for their attack on Dr. Light.  However, Rocket appears and tells Batman he needs to listen to Dr. Light now.  Later, Batman and the others join the fight on the Watchtower.  The good Dr. Light uses the remains of the villainous Dr. Light to increase her power, casting a light on the Watchtower to neutralize the Shadow Thief.  However, Shadow Thief says it is too late, the plan is set in motion.  The moon’s shadow is heading directly towards Earth.  Together, the Justice League and Shadow Cabinet figure out a way to stop it.  Afterwards, the defeat of Shadow Thief returns the Shadow Cabinet’s teleportation system online and they leave.  At Shadowspire, Icon is displeased with Dharma’s treachery.  Dharma tells Icon he will do much worse before they are through….     

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Well, that was just a little underwhelming.  The issue kinda sputters to an ending.  In fact, the way it goes I get the feeling that maybe McDuffie had planned a longer story but was forced into something else by some sort of editorial edict.  And since I think the next issue deals with the fallout Final Crisis, I am guessing that that would be it.  Which is a shame, because McDuffie, for once, seemed to have editorial constraints removed and he was delving into not only a story he wanted to tell, but also characters that he knew well.  The first parts of the story of very good and there are parts of this story that work as well (and I gotta love Batman’s little smile when the Milestone character threatens to kick his ass; you can just tell that Batman is more amused that scared).  But just when the story seems to have hit is stride, it comes barreling to an ending.  The fact that it doesn’t feel rushed is a testament to McDuffie’s skills as a writer, but at the same time it doesn’t have that crescendo you would expect.  the best description I can give is that the story hits a brick wall and everything is resolved and the dénouement sputters until the issue runs out of steam.  Kinda like this paragraph…. 

I am at a loss as to what happened at the end.  How did the JLA get “had” as Batman puts it?  What exactly did the Shadow Cabinet do to put one over on them?  I mean, they were going after Dr. Light in order to defeat the Shadow Thief in order to get their teleporter back on line.  So, how is this putting one over on the JLA?  Does the JLA not want the Icon et al to have such a teleporter?  What am I missing?

Speaking of the ending, it is a little annoying to get an ending        that deals more with the Shadow Cabinet than it does with the Justice League of America.  Just like the Tangent issue from a while ago, this feels more like an advertisement for future Milestone books than it is for a set-up for more Justice League of America stories. 

It may just be me, but I think of the television show “Lost” when I think of Dhrama (in particular the Dharma Initiative).  Granted, I think the Milestone Dharma was chronological first, but I heard of the Lost Dharma first.

Origins & Omens

Written by Len Wein

Art by Marco Rudy and Federico Dallocchio

Commentary

Again, not really an origin of the Justice League so much as an additional story that serves as a type of coda to the main story.  It is not bad and I suppose the best thing to come out of it is that we won’t have to deal with Red Arrow and Hawkgirl anymore.  As the for the omen portion, I am guessing that the figure in the background is Starbreaker (from the last issue) and he is the one that Dharma is referring to regarding a bigger threat to the world. 

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