Inside Out
Written by: Bryan HitchArt by: Bryan Hitch, Daniel Henriques, Scott Hanna, Alex Sinclair and Richard Starkings
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: July 6, 2016
The Justice League has finally joined the Rebirth party and I'm not sure if someone forgot to send it the invitation, but it felt odd not seeing it eating chips, drinking punch and playing spin the bottle with the rest of the big books. Of course, I have my theories on why it was delayed, but this isn't the time or place for that. This is the time and place to find out if the wait was worth it. Bryan Hitch has some big shoes to fill taking the baton form Geoff Johns and it all starts here. Is one of DC's biggest books in good hands? Let's find out...
The issue opens with some monologuing narration as New York City is under attack by...well, it looks like a massive crab-like, cockroach of a massive alien. The Justice League is on the scene minus one member. Of course, that member is Superman, but then we see that the narration is coming form the pre Flashpoint Superman as he helps Lois prepare dinner for themselves and little Jon. Okay...
Before moving on, I had to laugh that Bryan Hitch keeps telling us about how the Justice League defeated Rao. Really? When was that? Oh yea, in your Justice League of America book that never ended. I guess we'll have to take your word on that whole Rao defeat!
As the Justice League continues fighting, Clark and Lois keep talking and she even suggests that Clark might want to reach out to the League and possibly even join them. Back in New York, it looks like that would be a great idea because they are not doing so well. The Alien whatever it is is controlling people with headhuggers that are making them all walk in line towards the Alien itself.
Cyborg uses Boom Tubes to send the people to New Jersey (yes, there is an easy joke right there!) and while the League can't penetrate the Alien's hard shell, they decide to go inside it to find it's brain and talk to it. Maybe I'm missing something, but how do they get inside and if they can get inside, why didn't they attack that part of the Alien? At first I thought that Cyborg boomed tubed them in, but before and after they get in, he pretty much says he is Boom Tubed out at the moment. I am confused.
My confusion continued as Lois tells Clark what seems like it's supposed to be a big speech about how the New 52 Superman dying showed the world that the members of the Justice League were humans after all. It felt out of place, heavy handed, forced and just silly. Just stick to it showing the world that they are not immortal.
We then get my favorite part of the issue...Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz get the call and after a bit of a delay in China, head to New York to join the party. I love seeing them in the Justice League even if Hitch doesn't really seem to know what to do with them or have their voices down just yet. I will give him time with them, though, since they are still new as Earth's two Lanterns.
Back with the League, as they continue traveling inside the Alien, we see that they have been wondering what to do about Superman. Batman finally goes with the "keep your enemies closer" philosophy and that's a good thing, because Superman shows up to give them an assist. With everyone going full bore on the Alien, it releases it's human prisoners and leaves Earth, but with the promise that this is just the beginning. The issue ends with our heroes yelling at the Alien as it leaves and yes, it's as ridiculous as it sounds. Then it's time for a couple of group shots and stay tuned for next issue. Boy, I hope it gets better than this.
I don't know if it's the fact that the other big books are already diving into their stories, but this issue just felt silly to me. It was also bland, uninteresting and ridiculous. In other words, I hated it. I'm sure that some of you will yell at me and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about, but nothing in this issue made me want to come back to this book going forward and that should never be the case with a Justice League book. I am hoping that this is just the result of Hitch not having much to say or do with this extra issue before he starts his regular run, but I'm worried.
I am not a big fan of Bryan Hitch's art style, but this issue looks good. He's not on art once we head into the main story so it's not a big deal anyway, but everything looks...good.
Bits and Pieces:
Bryan Hitch starts of his Justice League run with an issue that feels like it's trying to be epic, but ended up as something else entirely. The story is paper thin and even ridiculous at times and I was not a fan of Hitch's characterizations. I have made the claim that these Rebirth #1's are tone setters and this one has me very worried about the series going forward. Time will tell, but I am not as excited for the Justice League book as I was before reading this issue.
5.0/10
The art started off just fantastic, but seemed to be more rushed as it went on. Still, a good Rebirth issue overall. It's a Justice League book doing Justice League stuff, a nice break after having one non-stop decompressed event after another.
ReplyDeleteI was not impressed. If anything, it felt like a continuation of Hitch's cancelled JLA book which I was not a fan of.
DeleteI didnt hate this issue but the confusion was definitely there and the scoreis dead on overall very underwhelming
ReplyDeleteI hope it gets better
DeleteFor me it is the weakest Rebirth book by a long way. It really strained to try and hit some big superhero moments but ended up feeling hokey. After reading this I'm not convinced that Hitch even likes superhero comics. I'll probably give #1 of the series a chance but it needs to do a Rebirth of the Rebirth for me to keep reading .
ReplyDeleteLike you, this was my least favorite Rebirth #1. I wish I could say it was because I'm past the Rebirth honeymoon phase by now, but I really think it was just not a good superhero comic...Hitch may hate superheroes
DeleteEh, Green Lanterns and Green Arrow were worse Rebirth issues, mainly thanks to their awful dialogue.
DeleteI don't know...completely ripping off Doctor Who dialogue at the end as the Reaper is already in space took the cake for me as far as chappy dialogue goes.
DeleteChappy dialogue??? Lol
DeleteI gave this a shot, and now I wish I hadn't. This was just more of the same "Summer blockbuster feel without reasoning" that JLA was. This title is not for me. Only positive I could give to this book was Simon & Jessica. 3.5/10
ReplyDeleteOh, my 5/10 was a special score...wink, wink
DeleteHa ha. I deserve That Jim. That's what I get for actually buy this shit digitally for a change. All ways browse your books first before a buy them, that's why I still back going to a comic shop rather than digital. People can make a dumb mistake like I just did and have wasted my money.
DeleteGod damnit DC, what the hell did I just read. Rao should never be mentioned again if Hitch can't finish a god damn story where he's the main villian, none the less be in Rebirth canon on page 2 of this title.
ReplyDeleteJim that art was aborted JLA panels Hitch didn't want to ditch I'm almost certain. We go from Johns and Fabok to this garbage and I'm insulted. I'll pay 3.99 to have those two bad ass mo fos back.
I think it was a huge mistake to have such a big JLA vibe here
DeleteI have to agree with Jim. This is she was pretty terrible. The art was inconsistent and the dialogue, embarrassing. Two things in particular really stood out.
ReplyDeleteFirst: Like Jim said, the multiple mentions Rao felt like a big "fuck you" right from Hitch to the reader.
Second: "It smells worse in here then the Watchtower men's room after one of Vic's Moroccan nights." I'm all for humor and humanizing these characters but this line gave me images of these guys sitting on the can, in full costume, with their pants pulled down, shitting uncontrollably like something out of a Robot Chicken sketch. The quote was not attributed to anyone but for some reason I heard it as Wonder Woman.
I hoped it was flash or Cyborg talking in third person like Rickey Henderson
DeleteYeah this was a bland story with a superman who needed to be convinced to do his job and this is probably after action comics when he showed himself as the new superman and the art was inconsistent as hell I hope he is t on art duty at all (mostly to avoid delays)
ReplyDeleteThe timing of the issue felt odd in general and I'm not worried about the art since he won't be doing but the storytelling has to get better
DeleteOk, see, I thought for sure, Jim, you would at least like the Clark and Lois stuff in the kitchen. I guess I just don't know you at all. The bug-looking monster thing -- the Reaper, was it? -- yeah, that was silly. It's leg-span looks to be from the top of the Manhattan to about the top of Central Park and we're supposed to believe that one chamber of its brain is "the size of Central Park"? Ok, whatever.
ReplyDeleteI did like the scenes in Watchtower where they are talking about Superman. This was my concern about replacing New 52 Superman with Pre-Flashpoint Superman, that he would never feel like he belonged or that they are his team, that they would consider him an outsider because their friend, THEIR Superman, died. But I do have hope that this could make for some compelling character/relationship development, maybe? That's what I hope. So, yeah, I am interested to see where this goes and will be back for at least the first few issues.
I love Lois and Clark so much...but Clark is chopping veggies as the Justice League is getting demolished...seemed odd.
DeleteThey don't have to keep reminding us of the Rao storyline that hasn't even finish yet! What's next a grown up Jon Smith on the Justice League with both of his parents dead and we don't get to see how any of that transpired but they reference it all of the time. The Reaper and its minions are too much like a giant Staro and his minions. I kept hoping that it was Staro!
ReplyDelete