bloodwolfassassin's Justice League of America #3 - World's Most Dangerous, Chapter Three: The Forest and the Trees; Missing Pieces review

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    Battle of the Mecha-Trinity

    I've been off the grid so long that I haven't even gotten a chance to weigh in on this new series, so let me begin by saying that so far I've been enjoying JLA on the whole, but it's not without it's share of problems, the slow pace and the continued absence of Simon Baz to name a few. I like the team and appreciate the fact that it's highlighting some not necessarily A-list heroes in its main roster. Though at times it feels more like Avengers than it does Justice League, overall it's still got a lot going for it.

    Let's talk about the cover for a second. Not the main cover, that one's fine. I'm talking about the cover for my copy with Martian Manhunter Morphing into the Mad Magazine guy. I don't know what sort of tie-in we're going for but from my perspective it comes off as really dumb and undermines a lot of the relatively straight subject matter of the actual story.

    We begin with a commercial with Stargirl acting as the poster child for the New JLA. Later, we see her on the phone with her mother complaining that the whole commercial because it sounds cheesy and insincere. Waller enters the room and the two argue about her role on the team. Stargirl wants to go out with the team but Waller only sees her as a figure head to improve their PR. When Stargirl argues some more, Waller threatens her by saying that she will expose some sort of crime her father committed.

    Back with the main team, we pick up where issue two left off with the group fighting what appears to be Superman, Wonderwoman and Batman. The trinity is overwhelming the team until Katana engages Wonderwoman and slices her head off. Trevor is at first horrified until it is revealed that she and the others are actually robots. In a nice bit, Vibe uses his own quick thinking to disable the machines with his powers. Trevor chews him out for being reckless and letting the league get caught up in the blast.

    Believing that the Android Justice League was waiting there because the bad guys were tipped off, Katana holds her sword to Catwoman's throat, believing her to be the traitor. Fortunately J'onn scans Catwoman's brain and reveals that she's clean.

    In the meeting room, Trevor lays out the new plan, most of it hinging on the fact that, so-far, no one knows that Catwoman is a member of the JLA yet. They stage a fake heist so that everyone can see Catwoman being taken to prison. Everything almost goes of without a hitch until Green Arrow shows up, thinking it's an actual heist and nearly blows the whole thing. In a bit that I don't like, despite my love of Green Arrow, Ollie basically blackmails his way onto the team. I can't exactly pin down what it is about this I don't like. I just think Green Arrow is better than this.

    Our issue ends with Catwoman escaping from jail and brought to the Secret society's lair, exactly according to plan.

    What Works:

    A team book is always at its strongest when it focuses on its characters and this is no exception. The best parts of the story are the parts where we get some development for our characters. Stargirl's introduction in particular was interesting and definitely left some intrigue for the next issue.

    The character who surprisingly gets the best development in this issue is actually Catwoman. I'll admit, initially I was skeptical about Catwoman being a member of the team, but surprisingly, she seems be the one who has the most personality and the most defined role on the team.

    What Doesn't:

    The slow pace of this story continues to be a big issue for me. Though a lot happened in this comic, it doesn't feel like a lot was accomplished. Also, Green Arrow's joining the team, my initial complaints aside, felt like very clumsy writing. I would love him on the team, don't get me wrong, but I feel like the transition could have gone a lot smoother.

    Overall

    2/5

    I have very mixed feelings about this issue. I wouldn't say it's bad, but I do feel like the story needs to pick up the pace. Hopefully Simon Baz will be joining the team on a full time basis soon. I like this series, but I think some improvements are in order.

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