Justice League: Generation Lost #24 Review, by Marc Alan Fishman – Snarky Synopses #7

May 9, 2011 Marc Fishman 1 Comment

Justice League: Generation Lost #24
Written by Judd Winick
Art by Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan

Hello all. Once again, I bequeath to you (my adoring public) a recent comic review. I do this not because I want to… but because MOTU said if I didn’t, he wouldn’t release my wife from the negative zone. Kathy, baby, I’m coming for you!

So, let’s get into it, shall we? First, so you don’t have to wikipedia this crap: This week, I bring you the last in a “macro-series” released by DC Comics. Justice League: Generation Lost spins out of the end of the “Blackest Night” crossover series. When 12 heroes and villains were mysteriously resurrected by the White Lantern of Earth… “poop got real”. One of those returning from the dead? The former money behind the Justice League International, turned villainous ne’er-do-well, Maxwell Lord. For those a bit behind the times? Lord got into an organization called “Checkmate”, where he released an airborne virus (called OMAC, after the former Kirby hero) that turned the public (well, a lot of them) into a mindless army of superhero hunters. Max, you see, wants all meta-humans to be more responsible (see: non-existent). And Ted Kord, former Blue Beetle, found Max’s master-plan out, and got shot in the head for his troubles. Turns out Maxwell is a Meta-Human too (see: Mind-Control). And ultimately, Wonder Woman snapped his neck to end his tyranny. And now Max is back.

You can wiki the rest of the backstory if you want, but the gist is this: In order to combat Max, since he obviously ain’t up to no good… the Keith Giffen era Justice League International reforms to hunt him down and stop him. While at one point the league of lovable losers were once the top dogs in the DCU. Captain Atom, Fire, Ice, Rocket Red, Booster Gold, and Blue Beetle (alongside Mister Miracle, Big Barda, Guy Garnder and Batman) reunite in this delightfully unbalanced book. Finishing up here at issue #24, we get something DC has been pretty short on lately… an ending! Issue #24 wraps the fight between Max Lord (along with his super new shiny OMAC Prime) and the JLI. Of course this time around, Blue Beetle is a Mexican-American kid, Booster Gold is a mature hero, and captain atom sports a crew cut instead of metallic feathered bangs. And for the most part? It’s damn enjoyable.

Judd Winick has had a very up and down comic career thus far. With his first book, Pedro and Me, he took his 15 minutes of fame on MTV’s “The Real World” and rode it eventually to a job at DC Comics. Shortly thereafter Judd took to a notable run on Green Lantern, as well as a few excellent “creator driven” series like “Blood +Water” and “Caper”. While I feel he stumbled a bit on his Batman and Green Arrow runs, he’s managed to consistently write for this now for quite a few years. When I saw his name attached to this project, honestly, I didn’t get too excited. But given my love of B-Listers, especially Blue Beetle, I figured it’d be worth a shot. 24 issues later? I’m happy to report it’s the best Justice League book being put out today. Mind you, the other current Justice League books aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on to wipe my own belligerent butt… but I digress.

The basics of this book are truly solid. The team is well balanced, and even with Booster Gold leading them… there’s been a smattering of solid fights, emotional characterizations, and some surprising cameos and twists. The final issue ties up a ton of the loose ends being frayed throughout the books’ year long arc, and Winick really did his duty to show the JLI for what they are now; Less a living joke, and more a team built to work together. Max Lord plays an amazing villain here. He’s not just a megalomanic looking for world domination, he’s a man with true shades of gray. He did found the JLI, way-back-when, with good intentions. But over time, he grew to be corrupted, and fearful of Meta-Humans. Winick spent a good amount of time really building Max as a legit threat. He was ahead of the Booster-led heroes at every step of the game. Of course he eventually fails, but it’s a believable mix of hubris and actual “hero work” done within the pages that ultimately ruins Lord’s best laid plans. And as a single issue? Winick packs the pages with actions, memorable set pieces, and an enjoyable end to a year-long series that had some real ups and downs. I could be more snarky here, but well, Winick didn’t mis-step all that much in my mind. Color me pickled tink.

The art by Aaron Lopresti and Matt Ryan is pretty standard hero fare. And given the purpose of the book? That’s damn fine by me. While there’s perhaps 1 to 12 too many shots of OMAC Prime stomping and bashing heros left and right… it’s really a function of all the threads boiling down to another fight-to-save-the-world. And yes, OMAC Prime’s design is essentially a mash up of Amazo and the (much better designed) OMAC updates… it’s servicable as something for the larger leaguers to bash on, while Booster busts Max in his mush. Damn, even I’m proud of all that alliteration.

Simply put, when this series gets collected, I recommend it, highly. What other book in a years time can boast cameos by the Creature Commandos and the Metal Men, and feature both Fire and Power Girl’s ta-tas? Suffice to say, Winick won me over, with easily one of the better team-books to be released in the last year. The book isn’t perfect, but it ends well enough. And hey, the book ends with a tease of a JLI book to come out soon. If Flashpoint doesn’t take a big gnarly dump on that, well, count me in. Until next week my friends, stay sarcastic.

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Marc Alan Fishman is a digital artist, writer, and co-founder of Unshaven Comics. When Marc isn’t knee-deep in graphic design, he’s also a contributor to ComicMix.com, an occasional stand-up comedian, as well as freelancer extraordinaire.