Shadow League of Eclipso
There is not much Justice League and a lot of Eclipso in this issue with a great deal of exposition, but it actually works much better than you would expect with the way James Robinson handles it.
If you are unfamiliar with Eclipso, you will not be after reading this issue. Robinson seems to recognize that Eclipso is a villain that a lot of readers recognize as a visual but really do not know much about. This is as much about explaining Eclipso's history as it is about him recruiting a shadow themed cast of characters for his big scheme. The history lesson plays out as an internal dialogue between Eclipso and his enslaved host Bruce Gordon. Aside from a few points, it actually reads well and not entirely like you are being smacked in the face with exposition.
As has come to be expected of Robinson's run on this title, a variety of characters appear from all corners of the DC Universe as Eclipso gathers his shadowy crew. The story actually does touch on Shadowpact again after a seemingly random reference to the team in the Starman/Congorilla oneshot. Robinson really does make the DC Universe feel like a lively place beyond what we see in the pages of various books.
However, Robinson expects a little too much of readers, especially our memories. There is a flashback to a very brief moment from the Dark Things crossover with Justice Society of America that is jarring and confusing if you do not remember it or did not read that story. This is made all the more confusing by a coloring error that has Dr. Mid-Nite looking like the Golden Age Charles McNider. This issue also makes reference to an injured Alan Scott, and unless you tried out Marc Guggenheim's run on the Justice Society of America title, you have no clue what is going on with that. Continuity is nice, but readers need to be cut some slack.
There is a weird inconsistency to Brett Booth's art where some panels will look very nice and dynamic and suddenly others will be freakshows with shrunken heads and crazy eyes. Overall, it is definitely more good than bad. Those off panels do stand out, though.
Despite the lack of the Justice League in this issue, it leaves me optimistic for this new story arc. Robinson does a good job establishing Eclipso as the team's latest antagonist and leaves me genuinely interested in reading more of some of the characters drafted into Eclipso's cause. That said, all the pieces are also in place for this to become a bit of a chaotic mess like the past couple of story arcs ended up becoming. But for now, this feels like a good start.
