It read to me like one of those throw-away filler issues. I didn't like it. The drama didn't draw me in, I never really felt their peril because I knew they were going to be ok by the end, I didn't even understand how they kept breaking through the hole then plugging it up (how many of those gummy arrows did he have?), or how he plugged the hole but the chord was still free enough to be pulled, or how he was even able to reach the hole that Vixen escaped through since he was pinned and he could barely rach her to hand her the arrow in the first place etc...
I have nothing against the notion of doing an issue like this, but I didn't think it was done very well.
And HOW is Vixen getting away with being in the JLA for two months without anyone saying anything about her not having her powers?? (or an altered form of) Two months seems way too long. It already seems like this team hasn't really done all that much since getting together, but to say that it's been two months makes it worse. Roy says Marie is in the JLA because "she's a fighter" - does that mean the rest of the team is just ok with some majorly depowered team member and keeps her around cuz they like her spunk? This is the *JLA*, not X-Factor. I dunno ... it all rubs me the wrong way...
From: New York, NY | Registered: Jul 2003
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Sorry you didn't like it, Drake. The drama did draw me in, and I felt their peril to the point where my own claustropobic impulses started to kick in while reading it. Comics are going through a period where one of the major critcisms is that death is all too common, used for shock value, and has little meaning because of frequent reversals. I was reading comic books back when deaths were infrequent and you typically knew the characters would survive. It doesn't weaken the story for me that I knew they would survive. It was conveyed very strongly that they felt they weren't going to survive, and I felt their fear. That's a sign of strong writing for me. If the writer can get me out of my own head, and into the head of a character, then he or she has succeeded.
The concept of "fill in" versus "self contained" is also important. Continuing stories are the norm these days, and monthly comics are frequently written with the knowledge that the story will appear in a collected edition. This story felt like it was written for the format in which it appeared, and easily stands on its own. I liked that. While not Benes, the artist used had a style that was a good match for the story being told. A DC editor asked recently, in a DC Nation column, for fan input on how to handle production delays and whether we would be satisfied with fill in artists during multiple part stories. This issue was a good example of how such delays can be prevented, and how self contained stories can be used to keep a monthly on schedule. I can't dismiss it as "just a fill in".
How has Vixen gotten by for the last two months? By lying to her teammates and leeching their powers. Too often comic book heores trade unrealistic banter and put downs in the middle of dire circumstances. I liked the way Roy and Mari dealt with this reveal and quickly moved into problem solving mode. There will be consequences, but this wasn't the time to worry about it.
I liked the failed attempts at gaining freedom. They drew the drama out. I also liked the twist ending. Clever. I didn't see it coming at all.
I liked the relevance of the story. We are a nation at war. Super Hero comics don't invite much relevance these days, because their powers would quickly resolve the problems of the real world. So we get multiverses, reality tinkering, omnipotent wizards, and aliens. Nothing wrong with that. However, it is nice to get a change of pace. Real bombs and terrorist attacks cause buildings to collapse. The Sago mine distaster is still fresh enough that the horror of being buried alive resonates.
Finally, I really enjoyed the use of the medium. There is great potential for art in graphic storytelling that is seldom relaized. It won't be realized it creators don't experiment and play around a bit. The mood, the color, the unique use of panels and darkness, and finally having to turn the book sideways and upside down as the twist is revealed added to the confusion. Again, allowing the reader to get into the characters' head and feel the same confusion they were feeling.
As we have our fan boy and fan girl discussions about what we like and don't like, what we want to see and don't want to see, the phrase, "I want to see good writing", is frequently used. In my opinion, this was good writing and should be recognized.
[ July 20, 2007, 02:02 AM: Message edited by: Jerry ]
-------------------- No regrets, Coyote.
From: Missouri | Registered: Oct 2003
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I agree with you completely, Jerry. By the time I got to the last panel, I had been holding my breath for last three pages.
These are two characters that I barely know, but I cared about their survival, and actually thought one or both might die.
The situation could easily have been portrayed in a way that exploited the tragedy of people trapped in the Pentagon or WTC in 2001, but it wasn't.
There certainly were aspects of the story that required you to suspend your belief in physics for a moment, but it's a comic book that features a woman who absorbs animal powers; you open the cover with a certain amount of suspended belief.
My favorite comic of the week.
From: Washington DC | Registered: Oct 2004
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Has naything actually happened in this series since it's launch? Doesn't really feel like it after 12 issues. I sure hope things change dramatically with the arrival of the new creative team or this version of the JLA may well have the shortest run ever.
-------------------- "Hey Jim! Get Mon out of the Zone!! And...when do we get Condo back?"
From: Paragon City on patrol | Registered: Jul 2003
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In a kind of strange way, I'm enjoying the relative quiet pace of the JLA/JSA series as a countermeasure to the overcrowded dumping ground of 52 and Countdown.
But, I'd rather see this idea of a weekly crossover backbone for the DCU dropped and good story telling return to the individual titles. I guess that's kind of quaint, outdated notion.
From: Washington DC | Registered: Oct 2004
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FROM THE GROUND UP Watergate Hotel Shuts Down to Spruce Up
By Allan Lengel
Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, August 6, 2007; Page D01
At the Watergate complex, the hotel's reception desk was suddenly empty last week. So was the lobby. Ditto for the 250 rooms.
"We apologize for the inconvenience," said a typed note on hotel stationery that was taped to the front entrance. "But as of Aug. 1, 2007, the Watergate Hotel is closed for renovations."
From: Washington DC | Registered: Oct 2004
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I like issue #12. It's one of those behind the scenes issues. Monitor duty, them changing shifts. I love that kind of stuff.
Not sure how I feel about the Roy/Kendra stuff. But it is Kendra not Shiera. In the last issue of Hawkgirl Shiera's soul left Kendra's body I believe. As long it's Kendra sleeping with Roy I'm fine. Hawkman might still kick his ass.
And it was mentioned Kendra's daughter is dead. She gave her up for adoption. Did Meltzer mess up or Kendra is hiding the fact she has a daughter so her enemies won't go after her?
From: Tampa | Registered: Mar 2004
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I wonder how many of the loose ends get resolved. Mari's power loss, Brion's power problems, Red Tornado's isolation, and I guess the relationship between Roy & Kendra (which I didn't like)
-------------------- Five billion years from now the Sun will go nova and obliterate the Earth. Don't sweat the small stuff!
From: Boston | Registered: Aug 2003
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Outdoor Miner, I am confused about the Aquaman thing as well. I think it's one of those Crisis things.
From: Tampa | Registered: Mar 2004
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