Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews

Justice League of America #15
DC Comics
McDuffie, BENES & Hope

The final issue of the opening arc for the new JLA writer Dwayne McDuffie doesn’t quite reach the level of the previous installments. I enjoyed the JLA Wedding Special and the first issue of this arc very much. You may recall I was critical of the actual Wedding Issue because I felt the villains were all C-list quality. This only helped the JLA Wedding Special and subsequently the next issues because it contained the A-listers.

I must now pay that criticism back as it is explained on the last page of this issue that this whole arc took place right before the wedding and that all the A-list villains were rounded up by some chick with Bane and other bad guys.

Let’s go back to the beginning.

Luthor is about to kill Superman with a Kryptonite knife when in steps Firestorm. Firestorm was in the hospital previously. He obviously got better and found the JLA missing and discovered Luthor’s headquarters. Nice work.

Firestorm turns the Kryptonite knife into a plastic toy. Then he reveals that he had slipped Batman a ballpoint pen with the intention of turning it into a lock pick, but he needed to save Superman first. Of course Batman doesn’t need a lock pick. So in comes the rest of the JLA courtesy of the freed Batman. This comes with the obligatory T&A shots in the splash page.

Next we have the battle. It has some high points to it, like Black Canary or Black Lightning (not related). It has its low points like the “naked” dialog between Red Arrow and Hawkgirl and the “Babymama’s” line from Hawkgirl.

It has some good battles, like Wonder Woman and the Gorilla duo. It also has some bad dialog in the battles, like Canary’s line about underwear to Giganta.

It has some good character interaction, like when Hal enters the fray and works with John Stewart. It also has just dreadful character developments, like Vixen kissing Superman.

It had some good plot movement with Wonder Woman, Dr Light and Cheetah. It had some open mysteries, like Luthor’s non-reveal to Superman. It also had some great Batman lines to Black Canary about why he disobeyed her direct orders.

In short, the issue had more good than bad. I liked the art, but it didn’t blow me away. The story arc obviously crosses over with some other DC thing, which is why the villains were taken away at the end. I don’t care for that, but what I can I do? It doesn’t make me want to pick up any other books. Maybe if there was an editor’s note telling me where to go I might, but I am not intrigued enough to dig myself.

If you like slugfests, some character development from mostly the second tier JLA team members then you will like this book. If you like big plots and heavy character driven plot movement you probably will be left with an empty feeling. A so-so ending to this arc.

3 out of 5 geek goggles.


Justice League Of America #15