The Plot Takes A Back Seat For An Issue, Which Is Just Fine
Generation Lost slows down for an issue, giving us a very strong issue focusing on the characters and all they have been through up to this point.
Issues like this one are really the most important to have with ongoing stories. You can have all the crazy stuff in the world happen in a story, but if you don't give the characters time to react, it gets hard to care about any of it. Judd Winick wisely gives us an issue of this after the JLI have come so close but ended up so far from getting Max Lord. The young Blue Beetle lies on a slab, and the whole world seems to be against them.
Winick touches on nearly everything in this issue. Captain Atom confesses his belief that he is losing his humanity to Ice. Booster Gold grapples with the inadequacies he feels about stepping up as a leader. Romance blooms between Rocket Red and Fire, which the series has been hinting toward for a while now. All of these scenes are really well done. Character work like this has always been a strength of Winick's writing, and he shows that in this issue.
The new Rocket Red really shines in this issue and proves what a three-dimensional character he is. When he first appeared, he was the source of a lot of comic relief with his poor English and excitement. This issue puts other facets of the character on display as he shows himself to also be a very professional and understanding guy in the wake of what has happened to Blue Beetle.
The end of this issue is a little predictable, but that really does not make it less satisfying. It is still a great moment to see and a great way to end the issue. The moment does exactly what it needs to do, which is ramp the momentum up again after a giving the characters a slow issue to breathe.
Generation Lost is almost over, and this issue focuses on what has made the series so great, namely the characters.