TimeTravelTuesdays: Gays on a Train

I'm not very happy to be talking about this subject because I'm not the kind of person that revels in negativity. I don't like that I'm often times the Debby-Downer who pokes and prods at media and creators to show their flaws, or to reveal the unfortunate misconceptions and implications, but here I am, still willing to do it because I don't see too many willing to voice the concerns on this topic. 


Also, I suppose this is something of a spoiler alert for those who have yet to read Earth 2.

Those of you out there who have been living a normal life free of the comic book rock are probably unaware of the differences between the Green Lantern played by Ryan Reynolds and the Green Lantern in the comics about space adventures and rainbow jewelry and also isn't black. Not to make things even more complicated for you, but there's also another Green Lantern to know about, Alan Scott, who is more Earth based and has been around for longer than all the other Green Lanterns you haven't heard of, being the Green Lantern of the Golden Age (an era of comics roughly from 1938 to 1954), he's also not black, but the one thing he is now is gay.

After about 70 years of existence, the character of Alan Scott was turned into a gay in the New 52 reboot of the Justice Society of America's home universe Earth 2, also the name of the comic. In the first issue, we're shown that Alan is still the media mogul he was originally, but more modernized with him doing stuff with iTunes and other young hip things. In the second issue, we're introduced to Sam, Alan's boyfriend, because the only way to show that someone is a gay is to show they kissing some guy, and at the end of the issue Alan proposes to Sam. In the third issue (to be released tomorrow) we'll find out that Sam died in the explosion that happened right after Alan proposed, making his entire panel count from first appearance to death: 9.

So, how am I supposed to feel about that? Well, firstly, I'm angry. Not just that Alan Scott was turned gay because James Robinson felt that someone needed to throw homosexuals a bone and that he's such a nice guy for doing it. Not just that the only indication of his sexuality was shown through a character whose sole purpose was showing Alan's sexuality and who we knew pretty much nothing about. Not just that said character was then unceremoniously killed off so cheaply for nothing more than an excuse to give Alan a 'drive of character'. Not just all those things combined. What makes me so angry is what made me angry the first time I saw all this, and what I think has honestly ruined all thoughts of James Robinson in my head like when you hear a Mel Gibson tirade and each of his films becomes 'X staring Anti-Semite'.

When asked about the negative reactions to Alan Scott's switched sexuality:

James Robinson: Well, they can’t live with the times. I can’t worry about those kind of people. I just don’t care about those people. The reality is the world is filled with fantastic gay people that contribute to society in every aspect you can imagine from medicine to arts to serving in the military. It’s nice to put one in a super team and acknowledge that there’s a gay character there too. But I want to reiterate, it’s just one aspect. He’s a gallant, heroic, green knight that would die for the Earth and its people and fight to his dying breath. There are so many other fantastic attributes to Alan Scott and I want people to see that he’s gay and he’s also everything you’d want in a hero. So anybody that has a problem with that, I just think you’ve got to grow up and stop worrying about other people and try to live a good, honorable life yourself.

The first part of that makes me think James is an arrogant and self righteous prick. I honestly dislike to say such personally insultive words to someone I do not know in a kind of public forum, but I cannot stand that kind of behaviour. James, trust me when I say that when I react negatively to Alan Scott's switched sexuality, it is not out of homophobia, but it is out of both respect for the character, and respect for homosexuals. The reason why Muhammad Ali did not play Superman in the '78 film was more than that he couldn't act, but because of the same reason Ryan Reynolds didn't portray John Stewart in the Green Lantern film, or why Russel Crowe wouldn't play Martin Luther King Jr. We don't just change someone's gender/race/sexuality just because we feel one of those is under-represented. Stories take precedent over the reality behind them, or at least they should. Oh, but that's just me getting started on this.

The second part of that is where I get really pissed, and it's why I get insultive on a personal level. That "just one aspect" thing doesn't seem to be much of a reality right now. Maybe that'll change in a few issues, maybe not. Again, all I have are the previews of issue 3, and the past two issues. So far with Alan, we see that he's a charitable person in the first issue for a few panels, and in the second issue he's something of a devoted boyfriend. That seems like a more developed character than I'm complaining against, but trust me on this one. You see, a story teller has absolute control over their story, which sounds very obvious but it's also one of the secrets to the craft, it's something you understand perfectly and then forget soon after. Robinson constructed the character of Sam for the entire purpose to be Alan's sexuality and then die. If he were a woman, he would be an instance of the comic phenomenon called 'Women in Refridgerators', named after the character of Alex DeWitt, Green Lantern/Kyle Rayner's girlfriend, who we spent 6 issues run with before she was found stuffed in a, you guessed it, refrigerator. 'Women in Refrigerators' will now in my mind forever have a sub-genre, 'Gays on a Train' for this debacle.

NEWS EDITION # 31 - DC UNLEASHES HE-MAN, SUPURBIA GETS ONGOING, ETERNAL DESCENT GETS ANIMATED,

Welcome to News Edition for the Week of April 11th, 2012. Clashers, give a warm welcome to new staff writer, Jeremias de Leon, better know as Xaos of the Ikaricast and new reviewer, Devin Walker.




HE-MAN  RETURNS TO DC 



by Frankie Rodriguez 


      Back in the 80s, DC was printing Masters of the Universe. After a while, that franchise died out but re-emerged at the beginning of the new millennium with a brand new Masters of the Universe cartoon and comic. This time, the comic was produced by Image Comics. After that, a short lived run in Crossgen, the comic died once again. Now, time has past yet again to the point were present day. The Masters of the Universe are coming back to DC Comics in a whole new way.


    He-Man and the Masters of the Universe will hit shelves this summer from DC Comics in a brand new,  6 issue miniseries. The new miniseries will be brought together by fan favorite author, James Robinson with art by Philp Tan and Ruy Jose. The new comic features Skeletor getting the power to alter reality to the point where he finally achieves his goals, dominance over Eternia and complete control over Castle Greyskull.


    The former Masters of the Universe will have no memories of their previous life; save for Prince Adam, who is a woodsman dealing with hallucinations and flashes of a man battling with a sword. What will Adam choose to do? Ignore these visions or will he follow them.


James Robinson told MTV Geek:


Adam is in a place where he really has to reconnect with what it means to be a Master of the Universe. It’s his odyssey, much like the Greek myth in fact, that is the backbone of this series.


  He-Man and the Masters of the Universe # 1 by James Robinson with art by Philp Tan & Ruy Jose from DC Comics will hit stores this July.




SUPURBIA EARNS ONGOING 


by Frankie Rodriguez 


       After one issue released and strong sales, Grace Randolph's Supurbia from BOOM! Studios has gone from a 4-issue miniseries to a full fledged ongoing. After the inital miniseries is finished, there will be a brand new # 1 this summer to open the ongoing series.  The book focuses on the exploits of the spouses of a super hero team known as the Meta Legion. Taking prompts from books like Gotham Central and from shows like Army Wives, the new book shows the lives of the spouses and lovers of big time heroes and how they cope with life as the significant other of a major hero or heroine.


    Randolph commented to CBR about how she is twisting super hero archtypes and tropes to help play with her main characters and more.

"Supurbia" is all about twisting those tropes and archetypes. I see a lot mainstream characters stuck in a corner these days, like a wind-up toy with nowhere to go yet they can't change direction. And I understand that because these are big companies that have to maintain brands that bring in huge amounts of money. But in "Supurbia," I can tear down walls and take risks.

So of course, you're supposed to recognize these archetypes at first glance but then the fun comes in watching them change before your eyes. As the series continues, you'll see the superheroes of "Supurbia" deviate more and more from what inspired them and - hopefully readers will agree - reach new levels of potential.

Supurbia # 2 by Grace Randolph with art by Russell Dauterman & Gabriel Cassata from BOOM ! Studios is in stores now.




EDITORIAL  - CAROL DANVERS AS CAPTAIN MARVEL 


by Jeremias de Leon 

                  My name is Jeremias and as a new author here the first thing you will learn about me is that I am a fan of Carol Danvers, most famously known as Ms. Marvel.

Carol Danvers, the air force pilot who became super powered with Kree DNA, will become known as Captain Marvel? Does this matter? Should we care?

Carol, after fighting a clone created by the skrulls of Captain Marvel during the Secret Invasion event will now call herself Captain Marvel and donning a new rainbow inspired outfit. Formerly known as Ms. Marvel, Carol's reason for the change was to honor the legacy of Captain Marvel by using the name.

As asked before does this matter? Should we care? It matters to fans of Ms. Marvel and people who like to see the spotlight in Marvel Comics to be on characters besides favorites like Spiderman and Iron Man. Carol has been featured in events like the aforementioned Secret Invasion and in Civil War, but hasn't really had much in terms of solo comics. She did have a solo series, which ended in 2010, but it was canceled. This is the first female solo title since the announcement of cancelations of other female titles that started in January of this year.

This series can show that Marvel does care about the other characters in their pantheon, including their female characters. Which, earlier in the year, it wouldn't be tough to argue against because of all the cancelations. With Carol in her own title, if it's done right can lead Marvel to make more series for other characters that haven't had a solo series in a while, especially more female characters. Remember to vote with your money because these companies do listen to the fans.

 

But, of course, the success of this series isn't just on sales; the series does have to be liked by the people reading it. Kelly Sue Deconick, the writer for this series should do a good job. If you didn't know, she is also doing the Ghost re-boot for Dark Horse comics. So, this series shouldn't fail in that regard. Though, of course, whether or not is good is ultimately for you to make.

So, in short, even if you're not a fan of Carol as Ms. Marvel or as she'll now be called Captain Marvel. Wish her well, if not for her sake, then for the other heroes that don't have a spotlight on them that deserve it, especially the female ones.

VIDEO OF THE WEEK 

He-Man & his sister She-Ra in the Battle For Eternia Fan Trailer!!!

Eternal Descent and Calabash Animation Launch Animated Series on IndieGoGo

FROM IDW Page

Star studded heavy metal series from IDW Publishing puts music and comics in motion.

The Eternal Descent comic series from IDW Publishing has bridged the worlds of music and comics like no other, with an army of chart topping heavy metal stars including Joe Satriani, Wayne Static, Gus G, Arch Enemy, Periphery, Shadows Fall, and many more appearing throughout the saga.

In Eternal Descent's continued effort to explore the unholy alliance between heavy metal and high fantasy, they have teamed up with Calabash Animation, the acclaimed animation studio led by Sean Henry and Wayne Brejcha, to bring an animated reimagining of Eternal Descent!

Having tested their mettle with a 2 minute animated preview, they are now in pre-production for a 22 minute pilot episode, which would realize Eternal Descent as a fully animated TV show. Eternal Descent is pleased to announce that Mike Sizemore is handling the script, and if you love animation, fantasy, and heavy guitars, then this could be the show you’ve been waiting for! See the preview and find out how you can get involved at: www.indiegogo.com/eternaldescent

While Eternal Descent aims to have a complete series commissioned by a network, the pilot will be released online, to be enjoyed for free. The pilot will be launched as an episodic web series with 5 action packed installments!Eternal Descent remains entirely creator owned and they want to include the fans as much as possible.
Sharing this message will be a huge help to their cause, but if you would like to contribute directly, the have created an awesome array of rewards, perks and experiences to show their appreciation. From signed comics to custom ESP Guitars, Eternal Descent has got you covered!Bringing this project to life will be a creative challenge, and they want you to be a part of the production every step of the way. Eternal Descent will be shooting exclusive behind-the-scenes footage to release alongside the animated series, so you’ll get to see how the animators work their magic and follow studio sessions with the incredible guest guitarists who have always been a part of this world. The pieces are in place, the descent begins!

To learn more about Eternal Descent visit www.EternalDescent.com and for further information, images, review copies and interview opportunities with the creators and musicians who appear in Eternal Descent, contact press@eternaldescent.com .

THE IMAGE REVOLUTION IS... CUTE?

FROM THE IMAGE COMICS WEBSITE

 G-MAN creator gives classic Image characters a make-over

On April first at Emerald City Comicon, Robert Kirkman and Chris Giarrusso revealed a new project: THE WALKING DEAD for Kids. A panel-by-panel recreation of the original issues using Kirkman's scripts, THE WALKING DEAD for Kids would be drawn in an art style with kid appeal by G-MAN creator Giarrusso.

The project, of course, was yet another April Fool's Day prank on a day that saw a few "announcements" come out of the convention. But the image is part of a series of special limited edition variant covers that Image Comics will be releasing in the upcoming year.

 In commemoration of Image's 20th anniversary, Giarrusso will re-create twelve classic first issue covers. First to get the too-cute treatment is YOUNGBLOOD, the very first Image title. The cover will ship in limited quantity as a variant for YOUNGBLOOD #71 (FEB128256), the relaunch of the Rob Liefeld Extreme Studios title written by screenwriter John McLaughlin (The Black Swan, Parker) and drawn by John Malin (AVENGELYNE) and Liefeld. YOUNGBLOOD #71 will be in stores on May 23.

The covers are Giarrusso's tribute to his youthful love of Image Comics. "Twenty years ago, I was eagerly anticipating the launch of Image Comics," said the artist. "Maybe it was partially due to my upcoming high school graduation, but it felt like the whole world was changing. I vividly recall the excitement of seeing the Image books on the shelf for the first time.  It was a new era, and these cover images were instantly iconic. The opportunity to pay tribute to these classic Image covers is an honor and a privilege, and I couldn't be more excited about my role and participation in Image's 20th anniversary celebration."

Look for more Giarrusso tribute covers in the coming months!

ON SALE NOW:


Michael Turner Wizard World Hulk # 1 Variant


Iron Man, Ultimate Extinction, Ultimate Origins


Spiderman Books including first Black Costume appearance


AVENGERS ASSEMBLE: Including Avengers (Volume 1) # 16, 1st Wonder Man & More


Action Comics # 1 & 2 SIGNED WITH VARIANTS


Death In Comics SET


Yugioh Lightsworn Cards


X- Saber Cards


Yugioh DESTINY Hero DECK!!!


Wind Up Rabbit Cards






BROUGHT TO YOU BY . . .


COMING THIS MAY!!!!

One of the few Tokusatsu Reviews I know. Great guy with a good set of reviews, a few countdowns and some specials. Tokusatsu is special effects in japanese but it is what the genre of live action stuff like Power Rangers and Kamen Rider Dragon Knight are based off of. Toku Time or Reviewtopia: Toku Time is where you can find him.






It's the new, BRAND NEW, Super Mario Dubstep Album. Listen as your favorite music from Super Mario has been transformed into remixes. The album is so addicting, you will feel like you're an addict!


GREEN MUSHROOMS & SUPERSTARS

From J1's own Shinigami (Ray Riley) & Forafire (Forrest Shamlian). FREE TO DOWNLOAD! NOW! 

FREE ALBUM DOWNLOADS

And don't for get the recently released Sonic Remix Album, SPIN DASH AUDIO is also available now. Al

RAJIO NIHON . . . the internet Toku Station where they play songs from tokusatsu, anime and give you in depth looks into the world of Tokusatsu. RAJIO NIHON  Take a listen as CBC's Frankie Rodriguez guests stars on a special 2 & a half hour podcast where he, Toku Time's EZ Rider, Oga of Rajio Nihon & Alex "Aznable" Smith talk about Sentai Music vs. Kamen Rider music and more. 

And don't forget to catch the Ikaricast from Reviewtopia!! Please look forward to it as CBC's Frankie Rodriguez comes in as a guest stars in Season 4, Episode 11. Hosted by Jeremias de Leon aka Xaos. 

#43- JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: RISE OF ECLIPSO

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: RISE OF ECLIPSO

Justice League of America (volume 2) #54-59 & Batman/Superman Annual #5

Written by James Robinson

Art by Brett Booth, Miguel Sepulvada & Daniel Sampere

DC COMICS

Review by Frankie Rodriguez

 TALE OF THE TAPE

            Welcome Clashers to another grand edition of Comic Book Clash. It’s Justice League Month and there are lots and lots of Justice League books to review. We recently review the current incarnations of the Justice League & Justice League International. I know we said we’d do dark this week BUT … we had a bit of a snag there. So the question becomes, what are we gonna review THIS week. As you already seen, Hector Ramirez reviewed the JLA Foreign Bodies one shot. And what am I gonna do? Well, I am gonna go on the WAY back machine to a year of grand spectacle. A year where the relaunch for DC had not happened yet and Marvel was still on top of sales.

            What am I kidding? I am talking about last year. Back in 2010, after the Cry For Justice miniseries and the firing of the now-late, great Dwayne McDuffie, James Robinson took over the book. And boy … it was different. The Justice League of America was different. At first, it seemed like a great mix of characters from the old Guard: Green Lantern, Red Tornado . .. to obscure characters: Dr. Light, Mon-El , Congorilla & Starman to the next generation: Dick Grayson Batman & Donna Troy. That changed after the first storyline as it moved into a crossover, written completely by Robinson: The Dark Things. It was at this point, the current team was really taking shape as Jade (taking over for Green Lantern), Jesse Quick (a speedster) and Supergirl ( in place of Mon-El) really came together. And while the line up of Batman, Donna Troy, Jade, Jesse Quick, Congorilla, Supergirl, Starman Mikkal Tomas & later Saint Walker do not seem like much .. . Robinson made sure every adventure was as epic and deadly as their predecessors.

            And while many fans were arguing about the line up, I found the line up fascinating. You have people with similar powers of the classic Big 7 but with VERY big and sometimes interesting differences. Jesse Quick is as fast as the Flash but also has super strength. Donna Troy died and came back. Jade’s powers are similar to a Green Lantern but are not from Oa and do not have to be recharged. And Let me point out that Dick Grayson could very well be the greatest team leader in comic book history. He’s lead the Teen Titans, the Titans, the Outsiders and now the JLA … twice. And while I can go on and on about the legimacy of the this league, we are here to talk about the story. And we shall as we embark on this incarnations LAST journey  … against a villain who was once the subject of an all annual storyline in the 90s, a catalyst for Infinite Crisis & even had his own ongoing. Get ready as we go dark for “THE RISE OF ECLIPSO”

CLASH FACTS

            Our storyline starts in issue # 54 with a quick little recap of the current Justice League. After the recap is done … we go to an named about the devil. That sounds like the ultimate vacation spot. We focus in on Bruce Gordon . .. No, he is not Jim Gordon’s son … and no, he is NOT an amalgamation of Bruce Wayne and Jim Gordon. Bruce Gordon happens to be the leading solar scientist on the planet. And he’s on the run … from angry natives. That’s what he gets for going to a place called Diablo Island. He calls his long time love (who oddly sports black hair now when it was red before) Mona and tells hints at the occurances that were happening during the Dark Things crossover. See … I tell you thinks we get back to eventually. With heroes, elementals and the planet having issues, Bruce starts feeling himself changing … while the sun is out.

Back Story Breakdown: Eclipso is a being that *normally* only arises during an eclipse.

   But thanks to the Starheart, the thing that made Alan Scott evil and a bunch of other heroes and villains go nuts during Dark Things (which, by the way, this scene starts DURING the Dark Things crossover), Bruce Gordon loses control and once again becomes the host of Eclipso. Instead of sporting a more traditional supervillain look, Eclipso went to the gym and is showing off his bare chest while wearing his signature cap and face still eclipsed. Come to find out, Robinson establishes that this possession is different from before as Bruce can actually talk with Eclipso while the fallen angel (yes he’s a fallen angel and it is a plot point) begins to murder every last native on the island. And it is gore as we see at least one panel where Eclipso is holding up a severed head. It replays how Bruce became Eclipso’s host and Eclipso’s history . .. which includes the fact that Eclipso said that Jean Loring as a host was a BAD idea, ending with the destruction of Diablo Island.

            And throughout the rest of the first part of Rise of Eclipso, we get interplay with Bruce and Eclipso collecting a bunch of shadow powered people for his plan … including The Shade; who seems to be the only Eclipsed being who can talk. Nightshade, Acrata, Shadow Thief, the monsterous looking Bete-Noire, Canadian hero Dark Crow & Elder God Syththunu … Oh my god … The thing looks straight out of Lovecraft! DAMN! The group gathers at the Emerald City, a newly formed City on the moon after the events of Dark Things that was created and maintained by the Starheart and Alan Scott (aka the ORIGNAL Green Lantern from the JSA, at a great time . . . months after Dark Things and while their ultimate target is .. . Jade. You thought it’d be Obsidian … so did I at first.

            Jade and Jesse Quick are visiting Alan, who was recently crippled because of the Starheart. They are attacked by Eclipso and his Shadow Army. Jade asks Jesse to take her father and get him away … and she does. Jade prepares to fight alone. Meanwhile, over in the remains of where New Krypton once stood, Dark Supergirl .. . *stops* Yes. Before the reboot, Kara had be evil for a short time. Once brought about by Darkseid, another time brought about by another villain of hers and now . .. after a recent battle with a being known as the Omega Man, Kara is Dark Supergirl again. Yet, this time . .. she’s not evil . . . just got lots of attitude. She, Alpha Lantern Boodikka (they made a lantern out of Rey Mysterio’s theme song?!) and Batman, who is Dick Grayson. Grayson laments that he misses his friend Kara, not the brat he sees before them when … they are attacked by Doomsday. Batman calls the Satelite to send for help when Boodikka is injured only to find Starman coming to their aid. Saint Walker joins the fray after Doomsday slaps Starman away. Starman, Dark Supergirl, Batman & Saint Walker find that Doomsday followed them to the Satelite which is being controlled by Cyborg Superman. It seems he infiltrated Boodikka in order to get into the League Satelite . .. and Doomsday wants to kill him.

            We get treated to a sub-plot that Dark Supergirl is dying from holograms of Doctor Midnite and Doctor Fate when we find the source . . . her own mind. It seems that Kara going dark is due to survivor’s guilt from being one of the few Kryptonians to survive. She finds her light and starts to beat back Doomsday . .. only to find that Doomsday had beaten Cyborg Superman to become . ..CYBORG DOOMSDAY. WTH? This subplot ends with Cyborg Doomsday taking Kara away with him while a distress call from Donna to the guys has them move out towards the moon.

            Back on the moon, Donna is doing her best to find off Eclipso’s Shadow Army in the Emerald City only to fall from sheer numbers. Then Jade arrives . ..only to be eclipsed. *sigh*  So Donna and eclipsed Jade trade blows and the denizens of the Emerald City try to run but the Shadow Army is winning. Shade mocks Donna, telling her to join them when the calvary arrives . .. but not who you expect. Congorilla comes in with a bunch of JL reserves, including Red Tornado, Cyborg, Zauriel and Dr. Light. Eclipso just mocks them as Bruce says that Eclipso will fall to the heroes. Eclipso says they will all darken.  We see the reserves get eclipsed little by little, including Red Tornado. Eclipso trades swords with Zauriel, who says his former angelic name of LLadiz. Congorilla fights the Elder God alone and looks about to be swallowed by a giant order of calamari when . . .Starman blasts Syththunu off of his friend. Dick leads the charge and we come to find out that all the JL reserves, save for Zauriel, have become eclipsed with the majority of the citizens of the Emerald City. All the Leaguers left standing are Batman, Donna Troy, Congorilla, Starman & Saint  Walker. Before Eclipso's Shadow Army can descend upon them, Obsidian, Jade's twin brother and one time partner of Eclipso, comes and sucks the remaining Leagues into the abyss . . .

         And while it looks like Obsidian is working for Eclipso, we come to find out he is not as he teleports the non-possessed Leaguers to Jesse Quick and Alan Scott. And it is thanks to Obsidian and Eclipso ... through the power of exposition and some really stunning panels by Brett Booth, we find out EXACTLY what Eclipso's plan is. And I have to say it is one of the most outrageous plans in the history of super hero comics. Using Zauriel, Eclipso calls his successor, The Spectre, to bring him over to the moon. The Starheart adds to Eclipso's power alongside Jade and the Shade. These things allow Eclipso to KILL his successor and then CRACK THE MOON IN HALF!

      Armaggedon has come on Earth with disaster after disaster while the JLA try to fight Eclipso for the final part of his master plan to . . . WELL, to KILL GOD!!!

     Yes. ECLIPSO'S PLAN IS TO KILL GOD!!!

    We have the moon split in half. One of the most powerful angels and beings in the DC Universe getting killed. I ..  . I can't say anymore about this story here.


CLASH TACTICS 

      This league was filled with controversy. As I said in the beginnning of the review though, most of these heroes are legacy heroes: Dick Grayson Batman, Donna Troy, Jade, Jesse Quick, Mikkal Tomas, Supergirl . ..  all holding fast to legacies. They also are very good replacements for their A-lister counterparts: Bruce Wayne Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, Starman, Superman respectively. As such, having them be the JLA was a very BIG move by Robinson and DC. And this might be one of the stories which best displays that this team not only can deal with anything the Big 7 can, but that this team has more than earned their Legacy.

       With that out of my chest, I am gonna start with art. Brett Booth, Miguel Sepulveda & Daniel Sampere all pencilled portions of this story. Daniel Sampere penciled the least amount of this storyline and I will say this . .. the man has potential. While there were some panels that seemed not as detailed and unbalanced, over all Sampere did some really great work. His 2 page spread in issue #59 was amazing. Miguel Sepulveda was stunning with his pencils being able to convey so much emotion and power while giving some wonderful visuals. Although, coloring wise, I find Andrew Dalhouse's colors are more vibrant with Sepulveda's work than Jose Villarrubia, who's colors are a bit more subdued. The MVP of this storyline is definitely Brett Booth. I have been a fan of Booth's work for years . . . since he was doing art on Backlash for Image Comics back in the 90s. His work on Justice League of America has been nothing short of exceptional. The characters and settings are lively and multidimensional. The action is stunningly rendered. The emotional parts are full with that extra umph! Truly, a great job to Brett Booth and his team.

    Which gets me to Mr. Robinson. Mr. Robinson. Mr. Robinson. You were so on your way to a World Heavyweight contendership rating. You really were. Let me break down why you are NOT getting that:

  -First, there seems to be inconsistencies at times with certain parts of the story. One minute, Eclipso's old angelic name was  Lladiz, stated by Zauriel during a battle in issue # 56. But in issue #57, The Spectre then states that Eclipso's angelic name was Galid. So . .. which one is it? Is it both of them?

- Second, there were times were I felt that the cuts between scenes were so dramatic in some places that it felt a bit daunting. One minute, we see Jade about to leave for  action. Next minute, she's possessed by Eclipso. Which brings up my final point.

 - Finally, there are just points in this story where the pacing seemed so wrong. The sudden jumps at times or the fact that things happened a lot quicker than they should have. There is a sense that this storyline should have been A LOT LONGER!! And it does not seem apparent till the 3rd and 4th parts of the storyline. There just  seemed like there was a lot of cramming which really effected the pacing in the middle. We see the League reserves come in. We see them in action for one other panel, then we don't see them again till they are eclipse. Wait ...  what?!

 Yet, the follow are things that definitely work in Robinson's favor:

 - Robinson does a good job handling not only the Eclipso storyline but also the Reign of Doomsday storylines at the same time.

  - He truly does his best to make all the cast seem important with great amount of character development. If he decides to not have a character around, he does make sure there is a reason behind it. Well, for the main characters anyway.

  -Really does make this team stand up to their predecessors.

  - The fact that Robinson's final JLA story deals with his team stopping Eclipso trying to kill GOD is one of the most insane yet entertaining plots in history. And Robinson does his very best to make sure everything towards that plot connects and makes sense. Why he takes Jade? Why he takes Shade? How Earth and its people are connected directly to God? All these things were just so well displayed and explained it makes the storyline that much richer.

 - Robinson had Eclipso TRY To kill God after killing the Spectre and splitting the moon in half. OH DEAR GOD!!!

 So overall, why Rise of Eclipso does feel crammed at times and there seems to be so much more that could have been done; this storyline is entertaining with great character development, beautiful art and smart writing. It is not perfect but it is a great storyline that can stand with any of the Big 7's stories.


  I give Justice League of America: Rise of Eclipso an Intercontinetal Contendership (4 out of 5). You can find this story in trade.

NEXT WEEK: I promise, JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK & more.