Justice League #16 Review

I have been loving this "Throne of Atlantis" crossover even so far, however I do not think this issue was as good as it should have been. Don't get me wrong, it had some great moments in it and I really enjoyed the ending off the issue, but I really don't think it flowed as well as it should have done.

The Justice League were fighting among themselves in this issue due to Aquaman trying to prevent a war from breaking out. This should have been epic, but it kind of fell flat. The art, which I so often comment on how great it is, really confused things in some scenes. I found it quite hard to tell what was going on in some panels showing fighting between the team. This for me really effected the flow of the issue. It made it quite stop start, a in some panels I was understanding what was going on, and then in others I was slightly confused or I didn't like how things looked.

On the other hand though, the panels showing the Ocean Master and his forces attacking the League looked great. You really got a sense of just how powerful the Ocean Master is, and he seems like a major threat in the New 52.
Superman also looked great in this issue. I loved the way he used his heat vision; which truly was pretty unique. The half page depicting it also looked awesome. Showing how powerful he was, and then showing him getting beat, really helped to confirm that the League really are in trouble here.

The ending of this issue nicely helps promote the new JL book is hitting stores next month. However, to me it doesn't feel like it was cheaply done at all. I think there is now a great opportunity to show how great the JLA are going to be, and just how important they are in the DC universe. I was unsure about purchasing the new series, but I think after seeing them make an appearance in the next issue of this title; then I will most definitely be picking myself up a copy of #1.

Yeah, so this wasn't the issue that I think it should have been. It still had its moments though and I did enjoy reading it. The Shazam back up was also very good as usual. The end of the issue really helped this book, but I think Geoff Johns kind of put everything on a back burner in order to build up for his new team reveal. I really do think that #17 will be stepping the tempo back up again though, and I am looking forward to picking up Aquaman #16 in order to continue the story.

Rating: 7 / 10

Justice League #15 Review

I only got back into this series due to the whole Superman / Wonder Woman romance that has started to develop. I believe that was in issue #13. Issue #14 I thought was pretty good, but I found it to be lacking in certain areas.
I wasn't even planning on picking this issue up until I saw it in my LCS and thought: "Oh go on then". With the promise of a new crossover event, and also being told that "A bold new era begins", I found that I could just not resist. So with all that in mind, lets see how I found this issue.

This issue is laying the foundations for the major crossover event titles "Throne of Atlantis"; and I think it does an excellent job in doing so. This issue is very action packed, which is something that everyone wants from a JL book; but it really needs to be done well, and in this issue it certainly is. You really get a sense of the massive scale of destruction that is happening now, as well as the potential damage that could happen to the world in the future of this event. The danger towards the human race feels big enough to be taken seriously which is something that can be hard to do in a first issue of a major event. However, I think Geoff Johns does a great job with it in this particular issue.
 There is also a lot of explanation from Aquaman to just what is happening; which is something I think is needed considering I am not really too familiar with Atlantis and its residents. This also helps to build to the danger of what is happening, as well as how monumental this series could potentially be.

My favorite bits of this issue were the character moments between Superman and Wonder Woman. I loved how he is trying to help her fit in with normal human life; which is something that she has never really attempted to do. While I found it all very cute, it still fit in with the main story running through the issue, as we saw our heroes get drawn into a battle to save Metropolis. Some of the art on show in this scene was awesome, and a nice double page spread helped to show the destruction that was happening to the city. The teamwork between the two was also great to see in this scene in order to help save the day.

When talking about the Justice League you really cant not mention the Shazam story which is at the back end of every issue. It is something that I really really enjoy, and I really believe that an ongoing series of this character would sell really well. However, for now it makes the 3.99 price of this book more than acceptable considering the amount of content on offer.

I really enjoyed this issue, so much show that I have bought Aquaman #15 as I have been informed that it carries on from where this book left off. Considering I have never read any Aquaman, this is a pretty big achievement for this book to make people like me do this. I am very interested in this major event, and I am just hoping that a level of consistency can be reached month to month in order to keep me interested. This is something that I have found JL to struggle with in the past, and I am really rooting for them to succeed this time around.

Rating: 9 / 10

Green Lantern #14 Review

I am going to go on record saying this as I really believe it to be true: "Green Lantern is one of the most consistent books out there today". There I said it.

I cant comment on the other Lantern books, but in this series I think Rise of the Third Army has been awesome thus far. The pace is perfect. Every issue you can feel something building, getting closer and closer to breaking point. It feels great.
What is really great about this comic is once again Baz is leading the way, and successfully pulling it off too. His confrontation with the Justice League showed just how normal and likeable he really is. His conversation with his sister also went a long way in doing that too. He is still getting used to the ring, but it is cool to see how he is progressing along with that. As Flash points out; he is learning fast. This is shown by the way he eventually got away from the Justice League. Inventive and very smart indeed.
Speaking of the Flash, his line about Guy Gardner made me laugh out loud. I love the Justice League version of him, but that is a story for another book.
I also really enjoyed the conversation between the Guardians and the First Lantern. The fact that even he believes that what they are doing is wrong just goes to show how deluded the Guardians are. It also highlighted that we should not forget about the First Lantern just yet. I have a feeling he has more of a part to play in this than first thought.
 The Black Hand' brief appearance was also awesome, acting as a way to give a quick recap on current events for readers who may have missed an issue or two.

I have mentioned this before but I will mention it again; the pencils and colours in this book are exceptional. I would go as far as saying that the art in this book is my favourite out of all the current DC titles. I think that is really saying something. There was no two page spread in this particular issue, but when one is included it is always mind blowing.

We may have only had one panel showing the Third Army in this entire issue, but the danger they pose flows throughout the book very nicely. I am looking forward to see Baz continue on his personal mission in the next issue, as well as what lies ahead for Hal and Sinestro due to what was teased on the very last page. Of course we cant forget the Rise of the Third Army. Yeah, I am pretty much hyped for everything about the next issue. It can not come quickly enough.

Rating: 9 / 10


Note: It is funny writing reviews for comics. I read this comic and thought " yeah I will give this a 8, maybe an 8.5". However, when I collected my thoughts on this issue and put them down on the computer screen in front of me, it became clear to me just how much fun I had with this book. This is what saw the score rise. I have found this with a few books that I have reviewed. It is not a bad thing at all, in fact I think it is great. I am getting a sense of how much I am enjoying reading some of these books when I have to really think about what I have just read.
So thanks guys for checking this blog out. You are making me realise why I love comics so much.  :)