Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Justice League of America # 57

By Koppy McFad
May 27, 2011 - 04:11

Eclipso with an army of darkness-themed villains, has conquered the Moon and now, he goes one-on-one with the Spectre as part of a bizarre scheme to-- get this-- kill God.

The JLA meanwhile, have been spirited to safety but instead of attacking Eclipso outright, Batman devises a plan to defeat Eclipso. What that plan is, we don't find out because the comic book ends just as the team goes into action.

This story shows both the talents and the weaknesses of writer James Robinson. His characters have really interesting dialogues-- not always realistic ones mind you-- but always engrossing. Even the 'internal dialogue' taking place within Eclipso is quite entertaining. The writer once actually devoted entire issues of STARMAN to characters sitting around a table and talking so the editors probably think he can get away with something similar in this book.

On the other hand, Robinson's plots are complicated and contrived and so much of his dialogue is spent trying to explain the plots. Additionally, his overly-complex dialogue can weigh down the story. The fierce struggle between Eclipso and the Spectre should be exciting but when the reader has to jump from one dialogue box to another, following a complicated explanation of why God loves the Earth so much, well the action just slows down.

The art is flashy and detailed but it draws too much attention to itself instead of helping to tell the story. The cataclysmic battle between the Spectre and Eclipso for example, looks muddled so it is hard to tell what is going on.

Rating: 6.5 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12