After being derailed by the Reign of Doomsday crossover, the Rise of Eclipso tries to get itself back on track and is basically successful. However, regaining the story's momentum is a whole different matter.
Eclipso resumes being the star of this story arc. What little narration there is in this issue is mostly his, and he certainly comes off as being a genuine threat to everyone. So far, this story arc seems to be more about elevating Eclipso's status as a villain than anything else, and James Robinson is doing well in that regard.
The action is entertaining but also very chaotic. Besides a big fight, it is hard to get a sense of what is actually happening. Eclipso is presumably conquering the emerald city on the moon, but we only see that going on in the background of a select few splash pages. The arrival of some reserve members of the Justice League makes for a cool moment but also only serves to make things more chaotic. It is hard to say how much the plot actually progresses in this issue, since if it does at all, it is mostly obscured by a bunch of fighting.
Alan Scott, Jade, Obsidian, possession, guest stars galore. It almost feels like we are reading the Dark Things again. While the Dark Things was a pretty solid story, revisiting so much of the same material here is really not appealing. It makes the book feel like it is running in place, only Eclipso has shown up now.
Another major problem is this story is so busy that it does not leave Robinson much room to focus on his Justice League. The team is this book is poorly realized and in desperate need development. But this story has Supergirl out of the picture, Jade possessed and Jesse Quick basically a nonentity. The inclusion of reservists and Saint Walker really only make it worse. Robinson seems more concerned with plot and guest appearances than having this team come together as a cohesive Justice League.
Eclipso and the action are the strong points of this issue. The plot staggers along, getting back on track from the Reign of Doomsday issue but not really recovering from it. The Justice League continues to be a disjointed mess of characters with only Starman and Congorilla having anything resembling a group dynamic, and this issue shows little hope of that situation improving. It is becoming rather clear that James Robinson and team books probably should not mix.