By Koppy McFad
June 25, 2006 - 04:50
A tale of the "World-famous Detroit League." Yes, that is actually how they describe it on the cover. Hard to tell if they were being sarcastic. The years when the League were in Detroit, with such members as Vibe and Steel, are not fondly remembered-- if they are remembered at all. Still, Englehart tries to invest the team with more personality, particularly Steel whose inner pain is revealed through a series of frightening flashbacks. But it is a disappointment to see an old-school writer like Englehart engaging in modern, decompressed writing. In this case, we get pages of the Royal Flush Gang squabbling among themselves instead of just attacking the League outright. This slows down the story and leaves the reader with an image of two second-rate teams fighting over nothing. The art has a nice Silver-Age clarity about it but it doesn't make up for the story's lack of excitement.