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The
Return of Aquaman (and Firestorm and The Atom and...):
JLA: The Obsidian Age Book One
DC Comics trade paperback review
By
Troy Brownfield
Writer:
Joe Kelly
Art: Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen (core JLA and
the past); Yvel Guichet and Mark Propst (replacement
JLA and the present)
More
Info: www.dccomics.com
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There's
a lot that's right with this story, and there's a lot that's
wrong with it. I understand the notion of making the rescue
of Aquaman (a situation remaining from the Our Worlds At War
crossover) into an epic. And I like some of the approaches
that writer Joe Kelly takes herein. That said, a lot of this
arc leaves me cold. There's a lot going on, but I don't feel
very involved in much of it.
The
things that I like the most are the obvious bones thrown to
long-time fans. Ocean Master and Black Manta show up to cause
trouble and are easily dispatched by the League and Tempest.
The crisis at hand necessitates the involvement of mystics
like Zatanna. The replacement set up by Batman in case the
JLA disappears (which features Nightwing, Green Arrow, The
Atom, Firestorm, Major Disaster, new character Faith, Jason
Blood and Hawkgirl) is great. The hint of a growing attraction
between Batman and Wonder Woman is intriguing.
That
said, I have a lot of problems with it. A lot of things seem
unwieldy and artifical. Green Lantern's dreams are an odd
device. The ancient villains aren't that appealing; I was
even more put off to see another appearance by Rama Khan,
a villain that I already didn't like from Kelly's run. And
Manitou Raven, while he's grown on me, seemed awfully reminiscent
of a villain that Kelly and Seagle used during their five
minutes on The X-Men.
In
fact, Kelly handles his Justice League of Substitute Heroes
with such gusto that I was wishing that we actually didn't
see where the regular JLA went. I felt that it could have
been treated as more of a mystery while we got to see the
new League in action. As it is, the issues are split (the
two art teams are a good idea, and both do decent jobs). Kelly
made the interaction between the new team really fresh and
snappy, but the icons felt awkward.
As
it is, I give Obsidian Age Book One three bananas.
There's a lot to be admired, but it's far from golden. Or
perfect.
Troy
Brownfield is the Editor-in-Chief. If he's ever blasted into
the ancient past, Shawn is under strict instructions to make
sure he lands where the people would worship him. Email him
at psikotyk@aol.com
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