Now Leaving Gemworld
Written By: Brian Michael BendisArt By: John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb, Wes Abbott
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 5, 2019
Let's head back into Gemworld so that we can finish up this first Young Justice arc, where previously we saw Tim Drake have his mind opened so that he remembered Conner Kent....... but the Pre-Flashpoint version of him and the Young Justice team of that era..... Too bad that doesn't make much sense from what was going on in the story previously...... you know, since Tim had been friends with Conner in the New 52. Oh well, let's jump into this issue so that we can see if Brian Michael Bendis can salvage any of this continuity.
For this issue we do have the very small origin stories of Teen Lantern, who we now know is named Keli Quintela and the retold idea that Jinny Hex came to Metropolis to see if anyone knew what to do with the trunk she inherited that's filled with dangerous items, but with the Teen Lantern, it's a lot like the rest of this book where I'm not sure that Brian Michael Bendis understands the DC Universe. The idea that she's using source energy to create the emotional spectrum of willpower is strange when it could have been she was just using a created battery to use willpower........ since she seems relieved that the Guardians and the Green Lanterns haven't come down on her yet. It's strange, but not as strange as everyone else in this issue because while Tim Drake had his mind opened to a Pre-Flashpoint world, where Young Justice existed........ everyone else just seems to remember and no one is asking any questions about where Bart Allen has been.
Definitely a weird issue that's strongest part is making sure we understand Superboy's part in Gemworld and the idea that he has a wife and son there. It's a bit of the old bait and switch that is the best explained part of this series so far, but beyond this aspect and the backstories of two of the characters that I already mentioned........ There just isn't much here. All the turmoil with Lord Opal is quickly overcome, making it look like he was never really a threat, while also moving on and not really explaining what Lord Opal's reality powers were or what they were doing. From what I get out of our heroes in this issue is some things changed......... but I couldn't tell anything different from what I was given here.
All in all, the art in this issue is the strongest part of the book overall, while we do get some decent nuggets of character moments, but the majority of this book is filled with awful dialog, non-story-telling and a continuity that I can't wrap my head around and I think it's because Brian Michael Bendis is just making it up as he goes along. I want to like this book because I love all the old characters involved....... except Amethyst and want to know all about the new ones, but right now this book is a bit of a mess to me and I can only hope that the next arc rights some of these wrongs that these first six issues created.
Bits and Pieces:
While I love the art in this book and the background given to what Superboy's been up to, this issue didn't offer a lot of answers to what's been going down with our heroes in this book...... Sadly, it's because I don't think the writer knows what the questions are. That aside, there's some fun to be had here, but the continuity is a mess and the dialog feels really off at times.
5/10
New 52 timeline and their respective memories no longer exists, since new 52 supes and preflashpoint supes merged, they created a new timeline, so the original young justice somehow happened. So no Con-el clone from harvest here
ReplyDeleteSuperman merging didnt take away the new 52 or we wouldn't have things like court of the owls or lex saying in this weeks justice league that he was a former justice league member and that was new 52. The Kents still died on prom night and that was...new 52!
DeleteSuperman Reborn created a new timeline where both timelines merged for Superman and his family. This shouldn't get rid of New 52 Conner or let people know who Bart Allen is, who hasn't been around for years and is only here now because of Flash War.
DeleteI agree with Anonymous. Also when Wally came back in the Rebirth special we saw his own memories change when he entered the new timeline, implying that his re-insertion into the universe may have altered history in some way. Regarding Superman Reborn, I think it is fair to say that this should be viewed as a different continuity than either the New 52 or the Pre-Flashpoint continuity. Just because *some* of the events from the New 52 occurred in the current timeline, it doesn't necessarily mean that they *all* did.
DeleteI would love a definitive answer to the continuity but right now it just seems to be picking and choosing and in most places it doesn't make any sense. Wonder Girl remembers Bart and Conner, Conner remembers Pa Kent, Stephanie Brown remembers she was Batgirl and Robin, but not Spoiler, while her father Cluemaster is still somehow alive. I want a continuity nailed down because right now I just have to assume it's lazy writing.
DeleteThe only thing that you can really say is the continuity has been expanding. The titans book fully explained that Wally was from the new 52 and was taken out of it by abra kadabra and DC insisted that rebirth was not a change in continuity. Superman combining his history with pre and post flashpoint versions made things crazy but they never explained what it all meant.
DeleteThe problem is every writer does their own thing anymore and nothing has been explained in any way and a lot of it goes against itself...especially when characters show up or are mentioned who are dead or were dead.
Also, flashpoint has been mentioned in the last month in heroes in crisis and doomsday clock in reference to this current timeline so things get wacky
In Young Justice case, I'll take it as a "spiritual sequel" of the pre flashpoint Young Justice comics, ignoring the new 52 events.
ReplyDelete