DCU Comic Book Reviews

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #37

Royal Pain, Chapter Three:  Dead Man's Hand

November 2009

Written by Len Wein

Pencils by Tom Derenick

Inks by Dan Green, Marlo Alquiza, Jonathan Glapion, Rob Hunter, Walden Wong

Cover by Fabrizio Fiorentino

Synopsis

On a boat in the Mississippi River, Fortune and Roulette are engaged in a high stakes bet, with Royal Flush Gang and the Justice League of America as the opponents.  Both teams have split into three groups and are doing battle.  In New York City, Wonder Woman and Red Tornado win their battle.  In Los Angeles, Dr. Light and Plastic Man win their battle.  And in Chicago, Firestorm and Vixen win their battle.  Roulette wins the bet.  But they both lose as the Justice League tracks them down.  However, Fortune and Roulette are able to escape.  Later, Roulette provides The Key with all of the data she was able to gather during the best.  Elsewhere, Fortune is shot by the wife of a former member of the Royal Flush Gang. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Overall, this was well-done conclusion to the story.  I can’t say it was memorable or exciting, but Wein delivers a satisfying ending.  The three battles were slightly redundant with the structure of each pretty much same (heroes arrive, start fight, stumble, overcome it, and win).  It didn’t feel too repetitive, however, as Wein manages to make the three fights work based on the characters.  Each get a moment in the spotlight, showcasing who they are and what they can do, not only as individuals but also part of the team.  While these past three issues are essentially fill-ins until the new creative team jumps on, Wein manages to make the story fit in the flow previous issues.  It feels like a part of the book rather than a random story.  In that regard, there is a feeling of continuity to the book, something I hope the new creative team doesn’t break apart.

The only thing that didn’t quite jell was the flashback, although I can’t complain too much since Vixen’s determination to keep the team together has been a theme of this story, so it that context it works.  But at the tail of the three action scenes, it just felt oddly misplaced, breaking apart the flow of the story.  

I was surprised by the epilogues.  With a brand new creative team jumping on board, I expected the story to wrap up nicely in a little bow so Robinson and Bagley could start fresh.  Now, it is very possible Robinson had his hands on the epilogues, asking Wein to help lead into the next story, perhaps to help out with the eventual trade paperback (if Wein’s issues need to be added to Robinsons first issues).  The first epilogue I can see, since it introduces the Key as another villain who were using Roulette for other reasons.  That makes sense and certainly sets up future stories, especially if Key’s boss is Prometheus from Robinson’s Cry for Justice mini-series.  The second one, however, is the odd one out.  I am not quite sure what to make of Fortune’s shooting.  It feels like another story, but I am not exactly sure where Wein (or anyone else at DC) can follow -up on this plot point. 

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