Art By: Tom Derenick, Eddy Barrows
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 15, 2014
Time To Get Mind F%*#ed
In the last Forever Evil tie-in to JLA, our only heroes remaining Star Girl and Martian Manhunter, were under attack by the Secret Society. But the two overcame, and decided to go their separate ways. Martian Manhunter intended on continuing his search for the Firestorm prison, most of the heroes have been contained in, and Stargirl needed to go to L.A. to check on her parents. Let's see what Forever Evil speed bumps get in their way.
Explain It!:
Since our two heroes parted ways, it seems that Martian Manhunter has done the worst thing in the DC Universe you can do. He went to Gotham City. So obviously he was attacked, and this isn't even because Forever Evil is going strong. I mean even if the Crime Syndicate hadn't screwed up everything, and unleashed all the villains unto the world, this was bound to happen. It's Gotham for Superman's sake. You're not supposed to go there. Imagine how empty a job fair is going to be, anything you get hired for is going to get you killed eventually. But getting back to the story, Martian Manhunter has made a friend in Clayface, and the way that Clayface shows you friendship, is by devouring you. At least that's how I understand friendship. All looks lost for my favorite Martian, but fortunate for him, it seems that Stargirl and him are still connected, and she swoops in to save the day. So some battling occurs, Stargirl calls Clayface Crap Man, and she wins the fight for all who want to remember clay for it's memorable scene in Ghost, and not as a slimy disgusting failed actor, and I don't mean Willie Aames.
Stargirl grabs the weakened Martian Manhunter, and flies west to find Firestorm (remember that the Justice Leagues are being held prisoner within the Firstorm matrix). According to J'onn, whoever has Firestorm is moving him, and Stargirl agrees to go after Firestorm as long as he keeps heading towards L.A., but the moment Martian Manhunter senses him going in a different direction, Stargirl is going to leave him on the search, and go on her way. But the two aren't done with trouble yet. On their way west they find Denver in a calamity. Now bear with me. People running away from Denver tell our heroes that they were being terrorized by a man in black, and red with a lightning bolt on his chest. Then the next panel we see a picture of Shazam, or a Shazam like character. If you remember when Stargirl, and Martian Manhunter were stuck in the superhero prison, Shazam was having fun terrorizing a city, and fighting monsters. So is this somehow the prison bleeding through to reality? Is it just a coincidnce? Or are the Crime Syndicate somehow turning our heroes, and then releasing them back into our world? Well we won't find out here, but feel free to make some guesses. Back to the story again, the character terrorizing the city is gone now, but in his place a giant robot has surfaced.
Martian Manhunter sends out a calming effect to all the people in the city, to allow them to flee in a calm manner, (Yep no screaming here, just a calm orderly flee of terror) while Stargirl goes to battle again. Months and months of nothing to do, and now she can't catch a break, I'd enjoy it more, if it seemed this story was going anywhere. Stargirl has a bunch of flashbacks about the time she was lured to a hostage situation when she first became a hero, while battling the giant robot. The robot goes down, the city rejoiced, and we find out that Stargirl's and Martian Manhunter's mind just might be getting played with, as we see Despero watching the duo. But his mother never told him to watch with his eyes, and not with his hands. This becomes even more apparent, when he knocks out Martian Manhunter, and knocks Stargirl into a river. In the end Despero is strangling Stargirl as the two sink deeper into the water.
Bits and Pieces:
Even though this issue takes a jump in the right direction towards the end, the rest of the book stands still with giant monster fight, after giant monster fight. Normally this would be a fun thing, but when we're in the thick of this story arc, and nothing has really happened, that's an issue. (a problem, not a comic) But the book does impress with it's artwork, and the ability to make Stargirl look like a badass. I just really hope that this story arc picks up, and doesn't leave us disappointed in the end.
6/10
I would love it if Shazam released himself somehow, but was too busy rampaging to inform others how he did it. I too hope things pick up in this series, I'm kinda digging it, but holy balls is it taking its time
ReplyDeleteI have this far out idea that they're releasing the heroes without their knowledge as they're moving Firestorm around and that they are causing all the havoc without even knowing it. Then suck them back into Firestorm and moving along. The idea's a bit out there, but till I get more information, I'm going to keep jumping to wild conclusions. Also as much as I'm not really enjoying the JLA just being Martian Manhunter and Stargirl, is it weird that I really want a Stargirl solo title?
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