Justice League

• Title: Justice League: Generation Lost #22
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer:Judd Winick
• Artist: Joe Bennett

With only a couple issues remaining things really pick up here. Blue Beetle returns from the dead with information on Maxwell Lord‘s plan. Batman and Power Girl finally join the team, and Wonder Woman makes an appearance as well.

There’s quite a bit shoved into this issue as Max’s plan goes into motion and the JLI celebrates the return of Beetle and Batman and tracks down the Amazon princess before Lord can implement his plan of revenge. There’s also a somewhat surreal moment as Batman and Wonder Woman meet for the first time, again.

I’m still a little sad we aren’t getting a little Guy Gardner thrown in (he certainly could use the break from the Brightest Day nonsense he seems to be trapped in), but I’m happy to see the return of Blue Beetle so quickly. Also, I’ve got to say just having Batman back with the JLI is pretty damn cool. Worth a look.

[DC, $2.99]

• Title: Justice League: Generation Lost #20
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer:Judd Winick
• Artist: Joe Bennett

In this one issue writer Judd Winick attempts to reconcile the Maxwell Lord of Justice League International with that of Infinite Crisis, and with the man who just killed the Blue Beetle…again.

This is something somebody probably should have thought about doing years ago. Better late than never.

Winick’s attempt (crammed into a single issue) does a fair job by shedding some light on Max’s relationship with his mother and how it drove him to become the man who created his own version of the Justice League. It also offers a turning point for the character and a plausible reason for the fundamental change in his character.

Given that so much of this issue is flashback we get very little of the confrontation of the JLI attempting to capture the fleeing Lord. What we do get is confirmation of Reyes’ death and a glimpse into the mind of the man who shot him. Must-read.

[DC $2.99]

• Title: Justice League: Generation Lost #19
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer:Judd Winick
• Artist: Aaron Lopresti

Power Girl finally knows the truth about Maxwell Lord, but is it too late for the JLI to save the Blue Beetle from a fate all to similar to that of Ted Kord? The cover might give you a clue.

The team sets out to save Blue Beetle from Max Lord who lets a little more about his plan slip to Jaime and how he’s used the former Justice League International members to seize control of Checkmate.

The story unfolds with the team mounting their rescue operation as Lord tortures Jaime in hope of learning more about the Scarab and how to use its technology to further his plans. Once Jaime escapes there’s a big throwdown between the Beetle and Lord (with the help of Checkmate defenses) which ends with the shocking death (even given the the foreshadowing of the cover) of an immensely popular DC character.

Perhaps its my nostalgia for Keith Giffen‘s Justice League, but I’ve always preferred Ted Kord to Jaime Reyes. I also think the best of the current run of Booster Gold centered around the issues which featured the return of one of the greatest duos in DC history.

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Justice League: Generation Lost #19Read More »

• Title: Justice League: Generation Lost #14
• Comic Vine: link
• Writer:Judd Winick
• Artist: Aaron Lopresti

The latest issue of Justice League: Generation Lost is one of those alternative future tales both DC and Marvel love to dish out from time to time. After Captain Atom becomes lost in the timestream he arrives more than 100 years in the future with a brand new Justice League battling legions of OMACs. He manages to make a small contribution to the ruined world, and learn the event which must be stopped, before he’s returned to his own time.

The new team consists of Batman (Damian Wayne), a Black Canary (a “descendent” of Hawk and Dove), a Plastic Man clone, a sword-weilding Shazam, J’onn J’onzz, the Creeper, a Blue Scarab, a descendent of Dick Grayson, and Power Girl.

Like most of these futuristic snapshots, this one offers little more than a chance to dream-up new characters or design new costumes for current ones (none of which are all that memorable). One thing we do learn is Maxwell Lord will attempt to kill Wonder Woman unless Captain Atom and his League can stop him (guess Max is holding a grudge over that whole ‘broken neck’ thing).

[DC $2.99]