Wow! I love this review of JLA #7

[artimoff]

http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=108062



Justice League of America #7
Writer: Brad Meltzer
Artists: Ed Benes and Sandra Hope
From: DC
Review by J. Caleb Mozzocco

One need only look at the sales figures to see that a lot of readers are awfully receptive to writer Brad Meltzer's version of the Justice League, and despite the slow pacing, the shocking gore and the disconnect with the last 20 years or so of Justice League stories (Identity Crisis and its fall-out included, oddly enough), it remains a popular book.

So I assume mine is not a popular opinion, but here goes: Meltzer doesn't really seem to get what makes for good comic book writing, and his Justice League of America relaunch is, top to bottom, a catalogue of just about everything that's wrong with current Big Two Comics.

Here we are at the end of issue #7 of the monthly series, the epilogue of an eight part story (counting #0) that reassembles the JLA after a League-less year and change. Relatively little has happened in those eight issues, which cover a few days time. The trinity thought talked about restarting the League and who their ideal line-up would be, an alliance of villains stole Red Tornado's android body to make Amazo v49.0, the good guys fight it, "Reddy" tore the Big Bad in half and fate assembled a rag-tag group of heroes that decide they'll be the new Justice League. And more happens in this single, over-sized issue than in the previous seven combined.

I literally don't know where to begin in my griping; it's like a buffet of bad choices, each competing for my attention.

There's the practically mandatory variant covers, which give consumers their choice of one-half of an image (Want the whole thing? Buy two!). There's the three-page fold-out of a well-rendered but groaningly cheesy team photo that could have come out of my high school year book, a fold-out which, when coupled with a house ad for DC's next big event story, discombobulated the pagination and thus the ordering of the scenes near the climax. There's the choices of the "new" headquarters, one from Super Friends and one from Justice League Unlimited, neither of which makes much DCU sense and one of which puts a lot of innocent civilians in harm's way. There's the little historical continuity glitches, like the placement of the All-Star Squadron's HQ (apparently in this new post-Crisis continuity, the 1939 World’s Fair happened in Washington DC, not New York, where it hosted the Trylon and Perisphere, which served as the Squad’s HQ) and in-story production ones, like the color of Roy's eyes from page to page. There's the new chairperson, which kind of ignores the fact that the individual was part of a League-within-a-League that committed some ethically reprehensible acts (Not just Dr. Light, but also Batman, J'onn J'onnz, The Top and Catwoman) that caused an awful lot of problems. There's the appropriation of elements of The Authority and X-Men franchises for use here, the latter of which gets a wink-wink joke to explain it. There's the way Meltzer focuses on telling us why Zatanna and Green Arrow aren't on the team, but not where the heck J'onn J'onnz is. There's Roy Harper's decision to celebrate coming into his own as one of the world's greatest superheroes by retreating to his mentor's name (Imagine Nightwing joining the League, changing into a blue scalloped cape and bat-eared cowl and saying, "It's Batwing now. Family business, family name”).

So I guess maybe I'll just focus on the positive. This is a pretty thrilling line-up with a ton of story potential, more than can possibly be capitalized on in just the few issues left in Meltzer's run. Four women on the team and two black people make for what's got to be a record in League diversity, and I've been waiting for Black Lighting to join the League for decades now. Roy's storyline, which seems like something of a happy ending to decades worth of stories, including Meltzer's own Archer's Quest, was fantastic (marred for me only by the name change).

That's something, although I don't think it' s enough to edge the book from the awful category into the decent.

This title has devolved from an exciting team book set in a fictional, shared universe into a nostalgia-driven soap opera, and not even group nostalgia, like that indulged in over in Justice. It's pretty much just nostalgia for Meltzer, and fans who are nostalgic about the exact same things he is-- until Infinite Crisis heavily retconned away chunks of the Satellite Era, Super Friends, the original Batman and the Outsiders and now, it seems, the also out-of-continuity era of the Legion (The specificity of the nostalgia struck me when reading JSoA's lead-in to the crossover; I've been reading DC comics for at least 20 years, and I had no idea who all these people showing up were; I knew they must be LOSH-related, but that was all...can newcomers really get at all excited about the mere mention of "31st Century" if even DCU geeks of a certain age see nothing but question marks when looking at them?)

To zoom from the macro to the micro for a problem, what makes the title more of a frustrating read for me is that Meltzer is obviously a good writer with a lot of good ideas, he just doesn't communicate them very well on the comics page. This entire arc has been over-written in a peculiar novel-meets-comics language, with multiple narrators, all indistinguishable save for their box colors, and half-sentences jumping from page-to-page. It reads like late '70s Chris Claremont, with thought clouds switched out for a rainbow of narration boxes. Where this becomes frustrating is that so often it's completely unnecessary; Meltzer does a perfectly fine job of letting us know that Red Tornado is upset during his meeting with Black Canary in the dialogue, we didn't really need to be told that "Just because you can fly-- --Doesn't mean you're not in a cage," (a strong if relatively early contender for the worst line of the year). Meltzer's Justice League run has thus far merely remixed old ideas and style choices from various sources, within the DCU and rival superhero universes, while offering nothing new, which makes the reappearance of such good old days touches as the "Hereby Elects" certificates, the chairperson and team photo seem almost shocking. I thought the point of Meltzer's own Identity Crisis was that the shiny, happy Justice League adventures of that period were anything but; are we now indulging in nostalgia for a period we were just told was nothing to really be nostalgic about, but was actually just as dark as the two decades that followed?

As for Meltzer's main creative partner, Ed Benes, his art seems just as controversial (and by that I mean some people love it with burning passion, other despise it with similar intensity). I think Benes is a fine superhero artist. His character designs tend to fall into two categories--All Men and All Women--and I don't care much for his about-to-pop Wonder Woman costume, but he does a fine job in general, and acquits himself quite well in the pull-out. I think the issue really lacked the wow factor it was written to have though, and there was an odd disconnect to hearing Black Lightning gush about how amazing the trophy room was and then seeing such an empty, unimpressive panel--it was probably the least jam-packed and impressive Justice League trophy room I've seen

[Jim T.]

Honestly, about 1/4 into this I found myself reading it Comic Book Guy voice...

[Kefky]

Heh, fanboy.

[Ryudo]

I couldn't disagree with that more, but hey, to each his own.

I thought the issue was great, I love the new lineup and the fact that Black Canary is chairperson. The art and writing have both been good throughout. And I wish there was a scan somewhere of that fold-out page.

[TIP]

Honestly, about 1/4 into this I found myself reading it Comic Book Guy voice...

:thumb:

[NickT]

I'm not reading it, but one thing I will agree with - Archer's Quest good, name change bad.

[Blake Sims]

I couldnt make it past #1. It wasnt for me.

[bachman]

I just read this issue yesterday and loved it.

It's amazing, people bitch when it's grim'n gritty (Identity Crisis)
Then they bitch when it goes back to classic-style (the "cheesy" team photo)

Bitches.

[Ryudo]

I just read this issue yesterday and loved it.

It's amazing, people bitch when it's grim'n gritty (Identity Crisis)
Then they bitch when it goes back to classic-style (the "cheesy" team photo)

Bitches.

Yeah, the bitchity bitch of the bitch bitch bitch does kinda bitch, huh?

:p

[Ben Weldon]

Honestly, about 1/4 into this I found myself reading it Comic Book Guy voice...

I was going to say the exact same thing! :D

[Ryan Elliott]

Hahaha!! Fanboy!!

[Blake Sims]

Hahaha!! Fanboy!!

Says the guy that goes by Godamn Batman.

[JoshM]

I really liked it. No complaints here.

[Ryan Elliott]

Says the guy that goes by Godamn Batman.



I'm the good kind of fanboy. Not the kind that hates everything.



And it's two Goddamn Batman. :)

[Blake Sims]

I'm the good kind of fanboy. Not the kind that hates everything.



And it's two Goddamn Batman. :)

ah excuse me Goddamned Batman.

[Ryan Elliott]

ah excuse me Goddamned Batman.



Nope. Still off. There's no -ed after Goddamn. :)

[TIP]

Nope. Still off. There's no -ed after Goddamn. :)

:rofl:

[DAVE]

Meltzer doesn't really seem to get what makes for good comic book writing, and his Justice League of America relaunch is, top to bottom, a catalogue of just about everything that's wrong with current Big Two Comics.

There's the choices of the "new" headquarters, one from Super Friends and one from Justice League Unlimited, neither of which makes much DCU sense and one of which puts a lot of innocent civilians in harm's way. There's the little historical continuity glitches, like the placement of the All-Star Squadron's HQ (apparently in this new post-Crisis continuity, the 1939 World’s Fair happened in Washington DC, not New York, where it hosted the Trylon and Perisphere, which served as the Squad’s HQ) and in-story production ones, like the color of Roy's eyes from page to page.

If having a headquarters in space will endanger the population ,where should the headquarters be? And why does the JLA's headquarters have to be in a place where innocent bystanders will be away from harm? Nearly every single other superhero headquarters is located inside a city, and those headquarters don't have a back-up in frickin space. The reviewer is seriously cherry picking to make his points- griping that the satallite is from Justice League Unlimited when that cartoon got it from one of the most famous League runs seems silly. Also, in terms of the World's Fair being in DC, is complaining about geography really necessary in the DCU? If the United States of DC Earth has countless additional cities dotting the coasts and midwest is it really strange to chalk up the Word's Fair taking place in Washington?
And a coloring error for a character's eyes is reaching if you're looking to back up the statement "his Justice League of America relaunch is, top to bottom, a catalogue of just about everything that's wrong with current Big Two Comics."

[Blake Sims]

Nope. Still off. There's no -ed after Goddamn. :)

Ah fuck it. Im too tired to care.

[Ryudo]

And a coloring error for a character's eyes is reaching if you're looking to back up the statement "his Justice League of America relaunch is, top to bottom, a catalogue of just about everything that's wrong with current Big Two Comics."

Yeah, I didn't even notice the part with the coloring.

[Ryan Elliott]

Ah fuck it. Im too tired to care.



Now, if that was true, you wouldn't even have bothered with that first post. Would you have? :)

[Blake Sims]

Now, if that was true, you wouldn't even have bothered with that first post. Would you have? :)

True, I was feeling spicy. Then it just got to be too much.

[NickT]

Also, in terms of the World's Fair being in DC, is complaining about geography really necessary in the DCU? If the United States of DC Earth has countless additional cities dotting the coasts and midwest is it really strange to chalk up the Word's Fair taking place in Washington?
I dunno, seems a bit daft to change bits of history like that. Not enough to criticise a book on it though.

[BCD]

I can agree with some of what he's saying. The overly done narration bit did kind of get to me. I just prefer to have characters' dialogue, expressions and actions speak for themselves.

I like the change to Red Arrow, it's the first good hero name Roy's had, and so what if it pays tribute to Ollie a bit. Was Wally any less of his own man by carrying on the Flash mantle?

I liked the Super Friends inspired Hall. I remember watching the old cartoons in elementary school back when USA was on channel 17, and I thought it was a nice touch. The danger room, I'm sorry, "Kitchen" seems superfluous to me. Not to mention clearly lifted from the X-Men. It may just be my own preferance but I prefer the League to be a sort of unofficial team who basically come together to handle the shit that gets too out of hand for the individual members. Besides the coolest moment in the Amazo fight was Vixen dropping in on her own, not a part of any gameplan.

I'm very much not looking forward to this JSA crossover. I like Johns, loved his Flash and GL work, as well as his early TT issues. JSA does not interest me at all. That's only compounded by my even larger indifference towards the Legion.

The page order fuckup was unfortunate. I'm not gonna be too worked up over it, but it did take me out of the story trying to figure it out.

[Ryan Elliott]

True, I was feeling spicy. Then it just got to be too much.



Come back when you're feeling up to it. :)

[Blake Sims]

Come back when you're feeling up to it. :)

will do.

[NickT]

I like the change to Red Arrow, it's the first good hero name Roy's had, and so what if it pays tribute to Ollie a bit. Was Wally any less of his own man by carrying on the Flash mantle?
Wally didn't change to it though. Arsenal, like Impulse, was clearly in the Arrow family, but his own man. Now he has backtracked into a GA derrivative. It'd be like Nightwing regressing into Batboy or something.

[Ryan Elliott]

will do.



I'll be here love chunks. :)

[JABSEN]

I wasn't digging it but I really liked the latest one.

[Tom Burgos]

I just read this issue yesterday and loved it.

It's amazing, people bitch when it's grim'n gritty (Identity Crisis)
Then they bitch when it goes back to classic-style (the "cheesy" team photo)

Bitches.

LOL!

I loved all eight issues of the JLA relaunch so yeah, I totally disagree with that review.

[Flonk]

Well, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about.

[John M. Coker (Johnny C.)]

I give this review 1 and a half out of 5 stars.

[Ryudo]

I give this review 1 and a half out of 5 stars.

http://www.mustangmods.com/data/10900/brilliant.jpg
BRILLIANT!

[Garra]

I dont totally agree with his review, but I do think some of it is hitting the nail on the head.

Either way, I didnt care for the book myself and dropped it after issue 3 or 4.

[ds9]

Fuck him JLA is good.

[Humphrey_Lee]

I couldnt make it past #1. It wasnt for me.

It hasn't been great, it hasn't been horrible. It's the standard level of average/mediocre I've come to expect from 90% of both companies mainlines over the past year or two now. It's still an okay pick up if you like the characters, which I do except for Vixen so I don't mind the $3 fix each month (or whenever it ships).

[Garra]

It hasn't been great, it hasn't been horrible. It's the standard level of average/mediocre I've come to expect from 90% of both companies mainlines over the past year or two now. It's still an okay pick up if you like the characters, which I do except for Vixen so I don't mind the $3 fix each month (or whenever it ships).


Now thats a good review. :)

I know others like the book, and I didnt find it horrible, but I have several books on my pull list which I consider to be consistantly great and I drop anything that I do not consider to fit into this category is all.

[ds9]

Jla Was Great I Say The Only Book Better Was Jsa

[Humphrey_Lee]

Now thats a good review. :)

I know others like the book, and I didnt find it horrible, but I have several books on my pull list which I consider to be consistantly great and I drop anything that I do not consider to fit into this category is all.

I'm thinking of doing all my reviews like that from now on. No more trying to actually dissect what the writer is doing and blah blah, just harsh biting reality in two or three sentences :)

Nah, it's an okay read, but I buy 60 books a month right now, and if I were to have to cull say, a tenth of them because of whatever reason, JLA would probably just fall in that cull. It's still a good way to start a week though when it comes in (since I read my books from what I think might be the "worst" quality to the "best")

[Ryudo]

In a week where Omega Flight, Avengers Initiative, and Fallen Son came out, I'd still have to pick JLA as the best book of the week.

But that's just me.

I don't know why but I enjoy the hell out of it. :)

[Humphrey_Lee]

In a week where Omega Flight, Avengers Initiative, and Fallen Son came out, I'd still have to pick JLA as the best book of the week.

But that's just me.

I don't know why but I enjoy the hell out of it. :)

In a week where Omega Flight, Jack of Fables, Buffy, Iron Fist, Welcome to Tranquility, Madman, Fallen Angel, Ant-Man, Detective Comics, Punisher, and even Scalped came out... well, you see what I mean by my earlier statement... :)

[Ray G.]

Wow, zing.

I think he went a little overboard, but he nailed a lot of my problems with this issue. The first few issues were good, but this arc really got progressively weaker. Meltzer's run is over half-way done, and all he's done is assemble a team very few people like.

[Flonk]

Wow, zing.

I think he went a little overboard, but he nailed a lot of my problems with this issue. The first few issues were good, but this arc really got progressively weaker. Meltzer's run is over half-way done, and all he's done is assemble a team very few people like.

Also, he wrote 7 very good issues of a comic book.

8 if you count #0.

[ds9]

In a week where Omega Flight, Avengers Initiative, and Fallen Son came out, I'd still have to pick JLA as the best book of the week.

But that's just me.

I don't know why but I enjoy the hell out of it. :)because its the best book out there.

[Ray G.]

Also, he wrote 7 very good issues of a comic book.

8 if you count #0.

#0 was by far my favorite issue of the book. Meltzer writes the big three perfectly. Once it shifted away from them and to the likes of Vixen and Emo-Tornado, I started losing interest. Then JSA came out, and showed what a team book can be.

[John M. Coker (Johnny C.)]

I really enjoyed this week's JLA, and it was a great book. But as for ranking this week's books, I'd say it was around the 4 spot.

[Jerome Gibbons]

If having a headquarters in space will endanger the population ,where should the headquarters be?

I think he was talking about the Hall. The reasoning being, the hall being on Earth in/near populated areas can present a danger to civilians. But yeah.

In any case, I'm not reading JLA, so I can't really comment on the review. I did think it was sort of funny that Meltzer has taken a few issues to assemble the team, while Bendis (from whom you would expect that sort of thing) got the Mighty Avengers together in a single issue. :)

[John M. Coker (Johnny C.)]

#0 was by far my favorite issue of the book. Meltzer writes the big three perfectly. Once it shifted away from them and to the likes of Vixen and Emo-Tornado, I started losing interest. Then JSA came out, and showed what a team book can be.

I agree with the exact opposite of this post. The Big 3 moments have easily been the weakest parts of this story. You could take those 3 completely out of this book and it would help a lot. It's an obvious case of them only being there for sales.

[John M. Coker (Johnny C.)]

I think he was talking about the Hall. The reasoning being, the hall being on Earth in/near populated areas can present a danger to civilians. But yeah.

In any case, I'm not reading JLA, so I can't really comment on the review. I did think it was sort of funny that Meltzer has taken a few issues to assemble the team, while Bendis (from whom you would expect that sort of thing) got the Mighty Avengers together in a single issue. :)

That's because there is no right way or wrong way to tell a story. The terms decompression and padding are bullshit terms that don't really mean a thing. Every story deserves to be told how that individual story needs to be told. An 8 issue arc has no less, or no more, merit than a 2 isssue arc.

[Garra]

I agree with the exact opposite of this post. The Big 3 moments have easily been the weakest parts of this story. You could take those 3 completely out of this book and it would help a lot. It's an obvious case of them only being there for sales.


If you get the impression that Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman are only in the JLA for sales reasons, isnt that a sign of bad writing?

I mean if a story is good there should not be any characters who you think dont belong in the book, let alone only being there for the sake of money.

Not trying to stir up any shit that just seems like a pretty big flaw is all.

[ds9]

I think he was talking about the Hall. The reasoning being, the hall being on Earth in/near populated areas can present a danger to civilians. But yeah.

In any case, I'm not reading JLA, so I can't really comment on the review. I did think it was sort of funny that Meltzer has taken a few issues to assemble the team, while Bendis (from whom you would expect that sort of thing) got the Mighty Avengers together in a single issue. :)The difference is that you didnt just get an issue of someone sitting at a doctors office for 20 pages for example. In the JLA arc we had different subplots taking place eacg issue that tied together by issue 7. We had Batman,Superman,and Wonderwoman deciding on who would be on the team while Black Lightening investigated some villians from an old contact. Then we had Red Tornadao story and Hal,Dinah,and Roy fighting robots. On top of that we had Geo Force and Vixen with their own stories as well.

[Jerome Gibbons]

That's because there is no right way or wrong way to tell a story. The terms decompression and padding are bullshit terms that don't really mean a thing. Every story deserves to be told how that individual story needs to be told. An 8 issue arc has no more, or no less, merit than a 2 isssue arc.

I know, it was more of a comment on the fact that we didn't see Bendis' usual slow, "build the story up" approach in Mighty Avengers, than it was on JLA (since, like I said, I haven't read the book so I can't really comment on it).

[Jerome Gibbons]

The difference is that you didnt just get an issue of someone sitting at a doctors office for 20 pages for example. In the JLA arc we had different subplots taking place eacg issue that tied together by issue 7. We had Batman,Superman,and Wonderwoman deciding on who would be on the team while Black Lightening investigated some villians from an old contact. Then we had Red Tornadao story and Hal,Dinah,and Roy fighting robots. On top of that we had Geo Force and Vixen with their own stories as well.

If this was a Marvel book, you'd be bitching about it left and right, you realize.

[Jerome Gibbons]

If you get the impression that Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman are only in the JLA for sales reasons, isnt that a sign of bad writing?

I don't want to speak for Johnny, but I'm guessing it might have been a case of the good outweighing the bad. There aren't a lot of stories out there that are completely perfect, so it's best to just look at the positives and try not to deal on the negatives as much. That just leads to fanboy bitching.

[John M. Coker (Johnny C.)]

If you get the impression that Batman, Superman and Wonderwoman are only in the JLA for sales reasons, isnt that a sign of bad writing?

I mean if a story is good there should not be any characters who you think dont belong in the book, let alone only being there for the sake of money.

Not trying to stir up any shit that just seems like a pretty big flaw is all.

No, I see it more as a sign as a bad casting decision, and marketing, they're the Big 3, it seems to me that they're there because they have to be there (for name value and asles), not because they need to be there, but that's not a commentary on the writing itself.

[Garra]

No, I see it more as a sign as a bad casting decision, and marketing, they're the Big 3, it seems to me that they're there because they have to be there, not because they need to be there, but that's not a commentary on the writing itself.

I understand what your saying but it still seems like splitting hairs in a way.

I mean no doubt your correct. I am sure if your DC, than you simply can not have a JLA book withut the big 3.

But it seems like a flaw for that to come across to readers is all.

Hey for those of you who stayed reading on JLA I got a question.

Why was Nightwing not picked for the team?

I recall there was alot of speculation that he was gonna be on the team this time prior to JLA coming out. Just curious as to what happened with him.

Story wise, I dont know if you really need a Nightwing on the same team when you got Batman, but being a Nightwing fan, I would have loved to have seen it happen.

[Corwin: Bear Fighter]

I tried reading the new series, but it bored me to tears. The Justice League should never bore. It's the fucking Justice League.

[DAVE]

I think he was talking about the Hall. The reasoning being, the hall being on Earth in/near populated areas can present a danger to civilians. But yeah.

In any case, I'm not reading JLA, so I can't really comment on the review. I did think it was sort of funny that Meltzer has taken a few issues to assemble the team, while Bendis (from whom you would expect that sort of thing) got the Mighty Avengers together in a single issue. :)

I know he was talking about the Hall, that's why I mentioned that all superhero HQ's are located near or in cities, and that's the point of the satallite- to use as a HQ in emergency situations as to not endanger the populace.

[Fake Pat]

We had Batman,Superman,and Wonderwoman deciding on who would be on the team while Black Lightening investigated some villians from an old contact. Then we had Red Tornadao story and Hal,Dinah,and Roy fighting robots. On top of that we had Geo Force and Vixen with their own stories as well.

Didn't all of the big 3's debating end up being meaningless anyways?

Geo-Force and Vixen did NOT have their own stories. Geo feeling dizzy and then taking a shower is not a story. Vixen flying around literally saying "caw" until the story needed a deus ex machina is not a story.

I loved issue #1, but this book has consistently disappointed since.

[John M. Coker (Johnny C.)]

"But it seems like a flaw for that to come across to readers is all.'"

Except that I didn't come to that conclusion from the writing itself. I already got that vibe from just hearing what the lineup was, didn't even need to turn a single page to figure that out. While I don't think any of the Big 3 moments were needed, they were still very well written, and their dialog was perfect. The only reason I find those moments to be weak, is because I don't think their inclusion in this book is needed, noy because of how they've been used, because their portrayals in this book have been strong. In other words- Meltzer has done fantastic with what he has-- I just don't think he needs what he has.

[NickT]

#0 was by far my favorite issue of the book. Meltzer writes the big three perfectly. Once it shifted away from them and to the likes of Vixen and Emo-Tornado, I started losing interest. Then JSA came out, and showed what a team book can be.
I didn't like #0. It felt too jumpy and a bit pointless to me. I'd have rather that was an issue of the big three picking the team. I'd love to read an issue of that, but when it takes places over 3+ issues it felt a bit needlessly drawn out.

I did think #1 was an improvement though. Had they not announced the JSA crossover, I might have stuck around.

[Fake Pat]

I didn't like #0. It felt too jumpy and a bit pointless to me. I'd have rather that was an issue of the big three picking the team. I'd love to read an issue of that, but when it takes places over 3+ issues it felt a bit needlessly drawn out.

I did think #1 was an improvement though. Had they not announced the JSA crossover, I might have stuck around.

I agree with every point in this post. That #0 issue was garbage.

[Garra]

"But it seems like a flaw for that to come across to readers is all.'"

Except that I didn't come to that conclusion from the writing itself. I already got that vibe from just hearing what the lineup was, didn't even need to turn a single page to figure that out. While I don't think any of the Big 3 moments were needed, they were still very well written, and their dialog was perfect. The only reason I find those moments to be weak, is because I don't think their inclusion in this book is needed, noy because of how they've been used, because their portrayals in this book have been strong. In other words- Meltzer has done fantastic with what he has-- I just don't think he needs what he has.

Gotcha, o.k. cool that makes sense.

Now how about my Nightwing question? :)

[John M. Coker (Johnny C.)]

Didn't all of the big 3's debating end up being meaningless anyways?

Geo-Force and Vixen did NOT have their own stories. Geo feeling dizzy and then taking a shower is not a story. Vixen flying around literally saying "caw" until the story needed a deus ex machina is not a story.

I loved issue #1, but this book has consistently disappointed since.

How is Vixen a DEM when she was shown in the very first issue? People misuse this term on the net all the time. The defining factor of something being labeled a deus ex machina is that the tool used to solve the unsolvable problem has not been shown before the solution. And since Vixen was in the very first issue of the series, she can't be labeled a DEM. Daisy Johnson in Secret War-- not a DEM. Magneto in Disassembled-- DEM.

[The Craig]

Did all copies of #7 have incorrect page ordering around the pullout or did I just get unlucky?

OMAC

[lonesomefool]

I'm a pretty easy guy to please when it comes to comics, and while there is a lot of stuff I do enjoy about Meltzer's JLA, there is more I dislike about it. For me, the two things I dislike about the book are

1.The heroes interaction, now I know heroes would pat themselves on the back once and awhile, and while I dont want to see them ripping each other all the time, I also dont want to see the love fest Meltzer is using. To me, a writer should SHOW us why Red Arrow is a cool character, not have Green Lantern TELL us why he us a cool character. It's annoying, and as someone who prefers characterization over action, it doesnt come off as good characterization either.

2.The pacing has really hurt my interest in the book as well, I know this sounds funny coming from a Bendis fan, but the book's pacing has been pretty unspectacular at times, with a lot of spinning wheels.

I dont know, maybe I'm just the wrong fit for the book, being more of a Marvel guy, but it just isnt clicking with me. I want to read and enjoy DC, but outside of a couple of comics, like Detective Comics, JSA, Green Lantern and Checkmate, I just am not digging their stuff right now. I was really jazzed about Meltzer's JLA run, I was really excited about Johns and Kubert on Action, I was really excited about Morrison and Kubert on Batman, but all of those books have been let downs to me, and except for Batman (which I still have the a sliver of hope for) all of them have been dropped by me. I dont know what it is, but I just find myself completely uninterested in the majority of stuff DC is doing right now, and while I plan on giving Countdown a shot, I cant say I am giddy in anticipation towards that title.

[DAVE]

How is Vixen a DEM when she was shown in the very first issue? People misuse this term on the net all the time. The defining factor of something being labeled a deus ex machina is that the tool used to solve the unsolvable problem has not been shown before the solution. And since Vixen was in the very first issue of the series, she can't be labeled a DEM. Daisy Johnson in Secret War-- not a DEM. Magneto in Disassembled-- DEM.

Yeah, it wasn't Deus Ex Machina, it was an emo decompressed swipe!