Picking Up the Pieces
Sigh. Look, it's better than the Green Lantern banner because I get the point of this one. It's not hyping a movie that didn't need extra hype, and its for a good cause. But it doesn't change the fact that the "We Can Be Heroes" banner is a huge detriment to the covers its on. It doesn't kill this cover too much, and this cover overall is pretty good compared to some of the other crap covers we've gotten from Finch here. Though it still doesn't mix well with Aaron Lopresti's art style. And the cover's a lie, Booster Gold's not alone for more than a single page.
Lopresti's art style, if you can believe it, has gotten even more smooth and interesting than before. It's such a great fit for a title like this with such a wide distribution of different heroes and styles.
Hoo boy, this is a heavy issue. Just when the JLI thought they had established a status quo, it gets rocked, hard. Of course this is actually very in line with the original JLI, things were rarely ever consistent in that series, and this one seems to be going for the same thing. Also keeping in line with the original is the excellent focus on the characters. There's a lot of great character moments in this issue. Booster Gold touching upon his PR persona, while focusing very seriously on being a genuine hero. Godiva crushed by the weight of what she thought was simply a publicity stunt, now forced into the world of tragedy. Batman dedicated to the call of justice, with or without structure. Guy's raw heart-on-his-sleeve emotionalism. This kind of issue wouldn't be the same in the regular Justice League, it's filled with larger-than-life gods. Justice League International is comprised of the more human heroes who strive for godhood. But then they get pushed aside from both worlds.
Whatever mysterious group attempting to crush the JLI seems to be a little over enthusiastic. It appears that the League is completely dismantled, cease and desist order by the UN even. Their job is done. So why would they send Lightweaver to attack again? This is probably going to end up making the UN reconsider when the JLI defeat him. It seems kind of redundant since they've already completed their objective. It wasn't about killing all the heroes, just preventing the team from continuing as a team.
And at the end (This isn't a spoiler, just look at the next cover) why does Batwing show up? I understand he's a good choice to push Batman out of the series, and he is a hero from another nation, but his appearance is completely out of left field. In his own series he just left Africa to go to Gotham. I understand the titles can't be completely synched up, but this feels awkward. Especially the way he just swoops in, just 'happening' to be right there. Furthermore, he's NOT technically his own hero. He's not a freelance hero, he's already part of Batman Incorporated, so him joining might be a little off. Thought I guess since Batman is in charge of Batman Inc, he could just assign him to the JLI? But the bottom line is that it feels forced. Between Batman appearing in Batwing #5, Batwing going to Gotham with Batgirl, Nightwing, and Robin in the latest issue, and him now appearing in JLI, his series must be in trouble, because this smacks of blatant desperation.
In Conclusion: 4/5
Batwing's ridiculous convenience aside, this was probably one of the best issues yet. It was really serious, digging deep down into the characters its built on. An explosion isn't just an obstacle, it's a catastrophe. Unlike many other superhero teams, the JLI can't just shake this off. Their structure has been completely unraveled, and their future is uncertain. This makes for an emotionally powerful issue.
