Hawkman
12-11-2008, 12:37 AM
A brief foreword, I thought this was a very entertaining issue. Not the greatest, but still very good in my mind. It flowed well, nearly everyone got a chance to do something, and there was enough action to keep it interesting from start to finish.
Anyway, SPOILERS:
Issue begins with Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi (Dr. Light) working at S.T.A.R. labs in Metropolis, throwing a fit and then giving us a glimpse into her now-humdrum life. She obviously misses the superhero lifestyle, but her powers are too unreliable now for her to do it full-time. As she reaches her home, she discovers the members of Milstone's Shadow Cabinet in her living room.
Turn the page and we're treated to a series of panels and a half-spread page of Kendra getting it on with some mysterious winged man in the clouds. I wonder who that could be? The lone word balloon reads: "Oh, Carter..." (YES!) Well, the guy sleeping next to her in the real world is none to happy about this, and Kendra awakens to find Roy questioning her about why she said that. She tries to explain, but Roy isn't listening, and walks out in a huff.
In Washington D.C., Vixen and Buddy are training, helping the former to test out her powers. All is well, and after a brief invite extended to Buddy--which he respectively declines--Black Canary tells Vixen that she's reinstates as a JLA'er once more.
Back at Kimiyo's house, she's frantic to find her kids, and as such is able to tap into her powers. SC's speedster, Blitzen, tries to catch up to her but is unable to reach the speed of light. Hardware tricks the desperate Kimiyo, however, stopping her in her tracks with a barrier of cooled atoms. Unfortunately for the Cabinet, not before Kimiyo was able to activate her old JSI communicator.
In the Lounge--Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman's hidden club house--Canary's found out about their secret and gives them hell over it (rightfully so, if you ask me). In the middle of her speech, John Stewart makes them aware of Kimiyo's beacon, and the team (Stewart, Black Lightning, Firestorm, Zatanna, and Batman) is on their way. Upon their arrival, Batman spots Starlight for a phony Kimiyo almost immediately, commenting that Kimiyo's more of a... well, not nice lady.
As it turns out, it may have just been a diversion to split up the team. Hardware and Iota are already sneaking their way into the Watchtower to obtain something. Upon retrieving it, though, they're caught in the act. And it, by the way, appears to be the mortal remains of Dr. (Arthur) Light. With Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the rest of the available team staring them down, the two outgunned Shadow Cabinet members call in reinforcements. Icon shows up, along with the rest of his team, and it looks like we're in for a battle royale next issue.
END SPOILERS
Very entertaining issue from start to finish. I've not read much of Dr. Light, but McDuffie's characterization felt very true to form, I thought. The Milestone characters came off as instantly intriguing to me, and if DC is indeed using Justice League to plug a future book featuring any of them, I may well just have to pick it up.
Mari's powers finally being sorted out is refreshing to see, as was the way Canary told the big three what was what. I hope this is a sign that the leadership ladder will soon be more actively reflected in the book outside of mid-battle commands, as McDuffie seems very much aware that while Dinah is the chairperson in name, she's not always treated as such by her "peers".
Of special note to me, though, was of course the two pages featuring Kendra. I had honestly given up on the notion of ever seeing her back with Carter months ago now, but this has actually rekindled my hope. Still not getting that hope up too high, but it is nonetheless there again. If nothing else, though, at least McDuffie will be addressing the relationship it seems, as opposed to the way Meltzer just sort of half-handedly allowed it to fall to the wayside while on his quest to hook Kendra up with Roy.
Anyway, solid issue and a good jumping on point for those looking to try it, be it again or for the first time. So far the Milestone characters feel very much a part of the DCU, but at the same time fresh. I like that vibe and am definitely looking forward to the next issue as a result.
Anyway, SPOILERS:
Issue begins with Dr. Kimiyo Hoshi (Dr. Light) working at S.T.A.R. labs in Metropolis, throwing a fit and then giving us a glimpse into her now-humdrum life. She obviously misses the superhero lifestyle, but her powers are too unreliable now for her to do it full-time. As she reaches her home, she discovers the members of Milstone's Shadow Cabinet in her living room.
Turn the page and we're treated to a series of panels and a half-spread page of Kendra getting it on with some mysterious winged man in the clouds. I wonder who that could be? The lone word balloon reads: "Oh, Carter..." (YES!) Well, the guy sleeping next to her in the real world is none to happy about this, and Kendra awakens to find Roy questioning her about why she said that. She tries to explain, but Roy isn't listening, and walks out in a huff.
In Washington D.C., Vixen and Buddy are training, helping the former to test out her powers. All is well, and after a brief invite extended to Buddy--which he respectively declines--Black Canary tells Vixen that she's reinstates as a JLA'er once more.
Back at Kimiyo's house, she's frantic to find her kids, and as such is able to tap into her powers. SC's speedster, Blitzen, tries to catch up to her but is unable to reach the speed of light. Hardware tricks the desperate Kimiyo, however, stopping her in her tracks with a barrier of cooled atoms. Unfortunately for the Cabinet, not before Kimiyo was able to activate her old JSI communicator.
In the Lounge--Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman's hidden club house--Canary's found out about their secret and gives them hell over it (rightfully so, if you ask me). In the middle of her speech, John Stewart makes them aware of Kimiyo's beacon, and the team (Stewart, Black Lightning, Firestorm, Zatanna, and Batman) is on their way. Upon their arrival, Batman spots Starlight for a phony Kimiyo almost immediately, commenting that Kimiyo's more of a... well, not nice lady.
As it turns out, it may have just been a diversion to split up the team. Hardware and Iota are already sneaking their way into the Watchtower to obtain something. Upon retrieving it, though, they're caught in the act. And it, by the way, appears to be the mortal remains of Dr. (Arthur) Light. With Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the rest of the available team staring them down, the two outgunned Shadow Cabinet members call in reinforcements. Icon shows up, along with the rest of his team, and it looks like we're in for a battle royale next issue.
END SPOILERS
Very entertaining issue from start to finish. I've not read much of Dr. Light, but McDuffie's characterization felt very true to form, I thought. The Milestone characters came off as instantly intriguing to me, and if DC is indeed using Justice League to plug a future book featuring any of them, I may well just have to pick it up.
Mari's powers finally being sorted out is refreshing to see, as was the way Canary told the big three what was what. I hope this is a sign that the leadership ladder will soon be more actively reflected in the book outside of mid-battle commands, as McDuffie seems very much aware that while Dinah is the chairperson in name, she's not always treated as such by her "peers".
Of special note to me, though, was of course the two pages featuring Kendra. I had honestly given up on the notion of ever seeing her back with Carter months ago now, but this has actually rekindled my hope. Still not getting that hope up too high, but it is nonetheless there again. If nothing else, though, at least McDuffie will be addressing the relationship it seems, as opposed to the way Meltzer just sort of half-handedly allowed it to fall to the wayside while on his quest to hook Kendra up with Roy.
Anyway, solid issue and a good jumping on point for those looking to try it, be it again or for the first time. So far the Milestone characters feel very much a part of the DCU, but at the same time fresh. I like that vibe and am definitely looking forward to the next issue as a result.