Phantom Stranger #11 Review

 

 In the House of Mystery Phantom Stranger, and Batman discuss their next course of action.  Best course apparently is to go to heaven and interrogate Dr. Light.  (of course)  But as we know from the previous Phantom Stranger, the angel Zauriel warned the stranger that if he ever returned, he would be erased from existence.  But hearing about Dr. Light's family being without a father, or husband, The Phantom Stranger agrees.  They take Katana, and Dead Man for they're experience with the afterlife, and POOF!

    The group traverses the basement of heaven trying to make their way up undetected, and when they finally find heaven, everyone except Phantom Stranger disappear.  Realizing his blunder, The Phantom Stranger must now find everyone's own personal version of heaven.  First we find Katana with her husband in a paradise.  The Phantom Stranger convinces her that she can't stay there, and they have to complete their mission.  Next we find Thomas Wayne reading "A Christmas Carol" to Martha, and a young Bruce Wayne on Christmas night.  This was the Christmas that Bruce never had, but it's funny because even though Bruce is there.  Batman still looks on in the shadows, and doesn't try to stay.  He just hopes that he can come back some day.  While leaving Boston Brand shows up and says that he's found Dr. Light.  Being more concerned with staying out of hell he doesn't worry about having a heaven he explains.

    Inside Dr. Light's heaven the team finds themselves in a universe of light, and in front of them is Dr. Light inside a womb of energy.  They revive the Dr. but he has no answers about why Superman killed him.  Phantom Stranger decides that the only thing they can do is bring Dr. Light back to life.  But before he can, the angel Zauriel arrives.  Zauriel casts the rest of the group back to earth and puts Dr. Light back into his womb.  The Phantom Stranger thinks to himself about the choices he has made, and that he hopes that the man he used to follow would be pleased with the one he made now.  The issue ends with Zauriel erasing The Stranger.

    I had a lot of fun stuff this issue.  It's good to see the Stranger acting in a larger scope with the heroes of the Trinity War.  I also find it funny that in six issues of Justice League of America it took a issue of Phantom Stranger for Katana to finally do something.  My main gripe in this issue was Batman's heaven.  Yeah I know he wants to be with his parents, but where was Damian Wayne?  Batman goes through heaven but not a single mention about his terrible grief about the passing of his son?  I don't buy it.  The only thing that came close is when The Stranger said he'd bring Dr. Light back to life and Batman responds "Bring the dead back to life?  That's insane.  I like it."  Anyway with the exception of Talon this is one of the smaller titles I hope continues for a long time, and was a really good tie-in issue.

                                  7.8/10