DCU Comic Book Reviews

JSA KINGDOM COME:  MAGOG

Thy Kingdom Come:  Magog, The Real Me

January 2009

Written by Peter Tomasi

Pencils by Fernando Pasarin

Inks by Mick Gray

Covers by Alex Ross & Dale Eaglesham

Synopsis

[continued from JSA Kingdom Come:  Superman]

Near Khandaq while following Gog, the JSA find dead bodies in the river, poisoned by local militiamen.  While Hawkman leads a group to deal with the source, David Reid (aka Magog), Amazing Man, and Damage try to divert the water.  They are having little success when Gog does it for them.  The three then go after the militiamen.  Magog is about the kill two of them when his teammates stop him.  They begin to debate when Gog turns the militiamen into water, using their bodies to purify the water.  Just then, Magog receives a transmission from his old unit.  He rushes off to help them, but arrives too late.  Magog hunts down the killers, shooting them in the knees and then ordering them in a deep pit and leaving them to die.  Magog returns to the others by the river, where he washes away the blood, having learned a lesson about war. [continued in JSA Kingdom Come:  The Kingdom] 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Somewhere recently I commented in a review of another comic that part of creating a good comic book is matching the right creator to the right story.  For this issue, the choice of Tomasi as the writer was inspired and I think the perfect choice.  One of the strengths of Tomasi’s run on Nightwing was not necessarily the characterizations of the titular hero and the supporting cast, but rather the willingness to develop the characters and their relationships rather than rush headlong into the plot and the fights.  This strength shows here, especially in the structure of the story as Tomasi takes his time showing us Reid and who he is before getting to the meat of the plot, the attack on the soldiers that killed his buddies.  Tomasi has crafted a good examination of the character of David Reid, who he was and who is becoming (and coming closer to the Magog that appeared in the original Kingdom Come mini-series).  Moreover, this issue benefits from eschewing most of the JSA characters and all of the subplots, instead focusing nearly every page and panel on Reid.  This is about Reid and the part that he will play in the rest of the story.  In that sense, it sets the stage for the rest of the story and it does a good enough job in that regard.  However ,is it really necessary or required reading?  Probably not, but I like how it expands the main story and I think it will certainly enrich the reading experience when the next installment arrives in the store.   

The Secret Origin Of Starman

Written by Geoff Johns

Art by Scott Kolins

Synopsis

At the sanitarium, Starman tells one of the nurses that he has been cured.  He explains to her who he really is and where he came from.  When he finishes, he asks for her help.  He needs to get a job.  And a shovel. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

As with the first story in this issue, writer Geoff Johns was the perfect choice to write this short little piece.  This was not an origin story but rather an exercise in continuity (something that Johns excels writing), showing readers how Starman fits into various DC stories in the past year or so (including the Legion of Three Worlds mini-series, the “Lightning Saga” that crossed over with Justice League of America book, and the fairly recent Legion story in Action Comics).  Not only is this an exceptional encapsulation of Starman, but it shows his personality.  These pages come alive, unlike other origin type stories.  Good stuff. 

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