Justice League: Cry for Justice #7(of 7), Justice League: Rise and Fall Special #1 & Green Arrow #31.

Since I finally got my hands on Justice League: Cry for Justice #7, I figure I can FINALLY start reading all of the various post-Cry comics I've had laying around. So basically, this post is going to tackle the final issue of Cry, as well as the aftermath with Green Arrow... Now, I read Cry #7 last night, and to be honest, even as I read this, I'm still not sure what I should score it... Why? You'll find out after I voice my thoughts on this comic after the review. Alright, with the intro out of the way, let's get down to business.

Justice League: Cry for Justice #7(of 7). Writer: James Robinson. Pencils: Mauro Cascioli, Scott Clark & Ibraim Roberson.
Last Issue: 9 1/2 out of 10.

We get started with Prometheus demanding his release from the Justice League or face the prospect of several other cities being destroyed like Star City was. The JL doesn't want to free Prometheus, so instead they spread out and head to various different cities, hoping that they can disarm the bombs Prometheus's henchmen had planted. From there, the scene shifts to Star City, where Speedy is battling against the villain responsible for placing the bomb there for Prometheus, the Electrocutioner. Before she can wrap him up, the building they were fighting atop collapses and the Electrocutioner escapes. By this time several heroes have arrived in Star City, but there is little they can do to halt the widespread destruction occurring due to Prometheus's bombs. Speedy runs into Donna Troy and asks Donna to take her back to Green Arrow's house, where Roy Harper's daughter was staying, in order to make sure she was all right. Upon arriving at the scene, they find GA's house had collapsed and GA and Black Canary are standing there with the body of Roy's young daughter Lian, who was crushed during the building collapse... It's going to tough to finish this review after having to type those words... Several other bombs in other cities begin to go off, and the JL spreads out trying to minimize the damage and prevent another catastrophe such as what happened in Star City. The whole time, Prometheus tells the heroes that if the release him he'll provide them with the codes to deactivate the bombs. After several non-successful attempts to stop the bombs, GA finally gives the word to his fellow Justice Leaguers that they need to release Prometheus, or they'll be facing several cities destroyed and a death toll in the hundreds of thousands. With that, the heroes release Prometheus from the Watchtower, he provides them with the codes and they manage to stop the bombs from detonating any further, while Prometheus returns to his extra-dimensional base. This mini-series concludes with Prometheus, back at his headquarters, plotting his next move. He winds up turning around, and standing behind him is Green Arrow, who sends an arrow right between Prometheus's eyes, killing him.

I'm not really sure what to write here... I guess I'll start with my gut feelings. The death of Lian Harper was one of the most disgusting, despicable acts I've read in a comic book for quite some time. I want to compare it with Yost and Kyle's actions in New X-Men when they murdered off half the population of the Xavier school, but the comparison isn't valid, because what happened in this comic was far worse, and I never thought I'd ever call anything worse then the deaths of 20+ innocent mutant children... I can accept anything in a comic book provided it makes the story better, from murder, to rape, to genocide. Killing off the 7 year old daughter of Roy Harper added NOTHING to this story. And before you say, “Well it fueled Green Arrow's actions”, I refute that by saying that GA STILL would have been more then justified in his killing of Prometheus based solely on his maiming of Roy, along with the fact that Prometheus was responsible for the deaths of 90,000 people in Star City. No, Lian's death was unnecessary, wrong and out and out sickening. The only saving grace in the comic was the ending when GA put the arrow through Prometheus's head, because if this comic would have ended in any other way, I would have had some real doubts as to whether I'd want to read anything written by James Robinson again. The guy is(was I guess)one of my favorite writers before this mini-series started, but all he did here was maim and kill off characters I cared about... You can only be slapped in the face so many times before you start to get pissed, and yeah, that last slap really pissed me off. As for GA killing Prometheus, it was well within his character, if you don't believe me, just pick up some of the early issues of the GA series from the late 1980's, because all Ollie did back in the day was kill people who deserved it. As for my final thoughts on this comic, I guess all I can say is that it disappointed me. I think this story could have easily played out without the maiming of Roy Harper or the death of his daughter, and still had a huge emotional impact.

Score: You know, I've been thinking about what to score this comic for almost 24 hours now, and I've gone back and forth numerous times. I don't think I've ever had a tougher time giving a comic a score then I've had with this comic... After MUCH deliberation, I'm going to give this comic a 0 out of 10... It's definitely not the worst comic I've ever read, not even close. Hell, there were parts I really enjoyed, but killing off Lian Harper will forever sully this comic to the point where I don't think I'd ever want to read it again...Justice is served...

Justice League: Rise and Fall Special #1: Writer: JT Krul. Pencils: Mike Mayhew.

This issue kicks off with a quick recap of the closing moments of Cry #7 where Green Arrow puts an extra hole in Prometheus's helmet... While Prometheus was still in it! After killing Prometheus, Ollie heads back to STAR Labs where Roy Harper was being treated after the loss of his arm. However, Ollie can't stand to remain there, and decides he needs to go out and hunt down the man who placed the bomb in Star City at the behest of Prometheus, the Electrocutioner. Not trusting the look in Ollie's eyes, his wife, Black Canary decides to go with him to make sure he doesn't cross any lines(even though unbeknownst to her, he already had). While Ollie and Dinah travel through the decimated streets of Star City, SAINT Barry Allen and Hal Jordan decide to pay a visit to Opal City in order to see if the Shade knew more about Prometheus's evil schemes then he let on during the Cry mini-series. Upon arriving at the Shade's home, SAINT Barry tries to attack, but the Shade pulls them both into the Shadowrealm, and leads them to the inter-dimensional home of Prometheus. The Shade leads them indoors and tells the two heroes that they weren't the first people who asked to find Prometheus's hiding place, at which point the two heroes spot the corpse of Prometheus, with a green arrow still jutting out of his head. Back in Star City, Ollie spots the Electrocutioner and proceeds to beat the hell out of him, while Dinah looks on. With Electrocutioner down, Ollie draws an arrow, takes aim and shoots, only missing the Electrocutioner's head thanks to a timely nudge by Dinah. The two begin to argue, which gives Electrocutioner the opportunity to slip away, which only manages to piss Ollie off even more. Ollie and Dinah then continue to argue about right and wrong until they are interrupted by the arrival of SAINT Barry and Hal, along with a box containing the corpse of Prometheus. SAINT Barry(the hypocrite)rants and raves about Ollie being a murderer until Ollie points out the the SAINT once murdered the Reverse-Flash in an attempt to save his wife. Dinah asks to see the body to confirm that Ollie had indeed crossed the line, and after Ollie tells Hal to do it, Hal opens the lid, revealing the lifeless body of Prometheus. While Dinah tries to process what Ollie had done, Ollie grabs Prometheus's teleportation key and leaves the scene, telling the heroes that he wasn't finished just yet. This issue ends with Hal, SAINT Barry and Dinah deciding that they have to locate Ollie before he kills again.

First off, I can't tell you how happy I was when Ollie threw the SAINT's role in the death of the Reverse-Flash in the SAINT's face! Big time props to JT Krul for bringing that up... God do I hate SAINT Barry... One thing that I didn't hate though was this comic! It was quite good, it filled in a few loose ends from Cry #7(such as how Ollie was able to find Prometheus), plus it went a great distance in making me an even bigger fan of Green Arrow(which I didn't think was possible!). Since I just read the entire 80's Green Arrow series, I like that GA is returning to his roots as a hunter of criminals, as opposed to a simple super-hero. With that said though, I was slightly disappointed in the depiction of Black Canary in this comic... Yes I know that Ollie is hurting from the maiming of Roy, the death of Lian and the destruction of Star City, but what about Dinah? It can be argued that she cared about Roy EVEN more then Ollie did, plus she's been seemingly unaffected by the death of Lian, which is kind of annoying to me. I guess she's been busy and all, but for Dinah it's like business as usual. I had a similar problem with a conversation between Wally West and Dick Grayson in this comic. Neither one seemed all too bothered by Roy's condition, and the death of Lian wasn't even mentioned! Both heroes had known Lian for almost her entire life, and although Dick is playing the distant Batman role now, I would have expected Wally to have said SOMETHING about the death of Lian, especially since he himself is also a father... Besides those small gripes, this was a very good comic that I'd have no problem recommending.

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.Ah the Shade... He's STILL my favorite supporting character ever!

Green Arrow #31: Writer: JT Krul. Artist: Federico Dallocchio.
Last Issue: 9 out of 10.

This issue picks up directly after the Rise and Fall Special, with Green Arrow still searching Star City for the Electrocutioner, all while trying to avoid a confrontation with Hal Jordan, SAINT Barry Allen and Black Canary. Ollie manages to halt some looting, but draws the attention of the trio of heroes searching for him. Before they can take him in, Ollie unleashes a flare arrow that blinds Dinah and Hal, while sending an electric shock into SAINT Barry when he tries to corral Ollie. Ollie makes a break for it, but is pursued by his wife. Dinah manages to catch up to Ollie, but he hits her with a glue arrow, pinning her to the ground, which allows him to make his escape. Ollie ducks into the forgotten underground catacombs of Star City while the heroes continue their search for him on the surface, emerging to continue his hunt for the Electrocutioner when it was safe to come back out. After a run in with some over-exuberant cops, Ollie bumps into his son Connor Hawke and Connor gives Ollie a piece of his mind, since he found out about the death of Prometheus(from that damned big mouth hypocritical SAINT Barry!). Connor basically spits on all of his Buddhist teachings and tells Ollie to get lost, which he does. This issue ends with Ollie returning to the catacombs and finding Speedy there, holding the Electrocutioner at arrow point, pleading with Ollie to let her kill him.

Much like the Rise and Fall Special, I enjoyed this comic a lot. The funny thing though is the fact that with each passing comic I read, I'm beginning to hate SAINT Barry more and more! I mean damn, you'd think he'd come off his frigging high horse at least once! Man do I wish he was still dead... Besides my Barry Allen hatred, I was also a bit miffed at Connor Hawke's attitude towards his father. Connor had come to terms with Ollie's actions a long time ago, and the excuse for his bad attitude(as well as his regaining of his memories)was pretty weak. Other then that though, the rest of this comic was gold. I'm hoping Ollie makes a pin-cushion out of the Electrocutioner next issue, but with Connor's words ringing in his ears, I tend to doubt that's going to happen. Oh well, whatever happens next issue, I'll be eagerly anticipating it.

Score: 8 1/2 out of 10.Jeez, that's about the most pathetic put down I've ever read! What's SAINT Barry going to do next, tell Green Arrow's parents on him?

Batgirl #6, Justice League: Cry for Justice #6 & Outsiders #26

Alright, I don't have much time to do these reviews, so hang on, this is going to be a brisk ride through comic book land. Before I get into the new stuff, I have to say, I've been reading the Brave and the Bold mini-series from 1999-2000, which was written by Mark Waid and starred Hal Jordan and Barry Allen, and so far, it's been some pretty good stuff. But like I said, I only have a limited amount of time to get these reviews done, so enough about that, let's start these reviews up! Oh, and I apologize in advance if these reviews are worse then usual, but like I said, I'm on a schedule tonight!

Batgirl #6: Writer: Bryan Q. Miller. Pencils: Lee Garbett.

Steph wakes up in the back of an ambulance after being shot by the thugs who kidnapped her classmate, Fernando Garcia. Luckily for Steph, the bullet only grazed the side of her head, so all she has to show for getting shot in the head is a bandage and a headache. Getting some assistance from Oracle, Steph breaks out of the ambulance, dons her Batgirl outfit and head to police headquarters, where she proceeds to spy on a conversation between Batman and Commish Gordon. The two discuss the events surrounding Fernando's abduction, and Steph is jumped by Damian, who is angered that she was spying on Bats. The two begin to fight, which leads to Batman angrily ending the fight, as well as banning the both of them from helping him solve the case of Fernando's disappearance due to their childish behavior. Needless to say, neither one listens, and they decide to work together, as Steph follows a hunch she has about Fernando's girlfriend knowing more then she was letting on. After a quick interrogation, the two discover that Fernando's father owes a load of gambling debts to Roulette, and that she intends on collecting by sending her minions after Batman, where her gamblers can place bets on which bad guy is going to kill Batman. This issue closes with an injured Bats crawling through the streets while being pursued by some of Roulette's goons.

Whew, one review down, two to go! This was a very good comic, from the story, to the artwork, to the dialogue. Not only that, but once again, I thoroughly enjoyed Damian in this comic! I don't know how Bryan does it, but he seems to be accomplishing the impossible, making Damian tolerable. You put Damian in any other comic, and I'm spitting blood like a Red Lantern, but whenever he's in Batgirl, I like him... Weird. Anyway, this was a very good comic that I'd be willing to recommend to anybody.

Score: 9 out of 10.I actually liked Damian in this issue... A lot. That's as sure a sign of the apocalypse as any.

Justice League: Cry for Justice #6(of 7): Writer: James Robinson. Artist: Scott Clark.

This issue opens with Supergirl revealing that she has figured out that Captain Marvel is actually Prometheus in disguise. With his charade over, Prometheus sheds his CM look, and launches into an attack on all of the members of the JL, taking out in quick order: Supergirl, Zatanna, Plastic Man, Red Tornado, Black Canary, Starman, Hawkgirl, Guardian, Hawkman, Dr. Light, Vixen, Donna Troy, Hal Jordan, Firestorm, Starfire, Green Arrow and the Atom(WOW...)before he makes his way towards his destination, the teleportation room in the JL Watchtower. Upon arriving at the massive teleporter, he encounters Jay Garrick and the Shade(!). He makes quick work of Jay, and after some slight difficulty, he manages to take down the Shade. With nobody standing between him and his prize, Prometheus walks towards the teleporter, but is attacked by an enraged Donna Troy, who proceeds to beat the HELL out of Prometheus in an Amazon rage. Before she crosses the line, the Shade snaps her back to her senses by telling her she'd best stop before she is branded a murderer by her friends. From there, the scene shifts to the heroes, now recovered, questioning Prometheus on what his master plan is/was. Prometheus happily explains that he was intending on teleporting all of the heroes various home cities into several other dimensions, where they would remain lost forever. This issue ends with Prometheus explaining to the heroes that in the event he was captured, he had a back-up plan which involved massive bombs hidden throughout several cities which would explode unless he was released, with the first bomb blowing up in Green Arrow's hometown of Star City!

After last issue, I was just about ready to write this mini-series off, but wow, this issue sure changed my mind about that! Prometheus was a beast, single-handedly taking out pretty much the ENTIRE JLA without really breaking a sweat... Now that's how you make a villain look strong! The story was much better, with Prometheus finally explaining his master plan, as well as his back-up plan, plus as a bonus, no archers were maimed during this issue, which is always a good thing! I've got to say, poor Ollie is sure taking it on the chin this mini... First his sidekick/"son", Roy Harper has his arm severed, then his hometown is blown up! Jeez, if that were to happen to Hal, he'd be running amok, destroying the universe! I honestly didn't expect to be saying this, but this was a very good comic. It was so good that it almost washed the bad taste of the last issue out of my mouth... Almost.

Score: 9 1/2 out of 10.See, it's like I've always said, NEVER piss off an Amazon!

Outsiders #26: Writer: Dan Didio. Pencils: Philip Tan.

Alright, this issue is going to get the real short form treatment... Geo-Force and the Outsiders are now operating out of GF's kingdom of Markovia, and GF and Katana are acting a bit on the unhinged side, thanks to their Blackest Night experiences last issue. Katana repeatedly tries to murder criminals during a mission she's on with Black Lightning, and GF basically acts aloof and snobbish to his teammates. Once all of the Outsiders are back in Markovia after completing their various missions, GF holds a press conference, where he announces that Markovia has entered into a non-aggression treaty with New Krypton, and this issue ends with GF introducing his "friend" Eradicator to the press and his shocked teammates.

Sorry about the brief review, but I really do have to finish this post up in the next 15 minutes or so... I actually liked this comic a lot more then I thought I was going to. I'd heard some... let's say less then flattering things about this comic, so I was expecting the worst, but thankfully, my fears were unfounded. I like GF as a royal jerk, Katana as a wildcard, and the rest of the team trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I for one will be looking forward to the next issue.

Score: 7 1/2 out of 10.So instead of getting Superman, we get his lame double/Kryptonian weapon/whatever the hell he is now, the Eradicator... Uh-huh...

Justice League: Cry for Justice #5(of 7)

Writer: James Robinson. Artist: Mauro Cascioli.

What Happened: This issue opens with Congorilla and the blue Starman asking Animal Man, Donna Troy and Starfire for aid against Prometheus. From there we head up to the JLA satellite where Hal, Ollie and their band of JLAers ask Dinah and her JLAers for help in dealing with Prometheus, which leads to Ollie and Dinah getting into a heated argument. Captain Marvel, Hal and Hawkman quell the argument, and the team begins to discuss what Prometheus was up to. While they're talking, Batwoman contacts the team and tells them about a confrontation she had with a villain named Endless Winter. After defeating EW, Batwoman pressed her for information as to what she was doing in Gotham. EW begins to rat out Prometheus, and winds up suddenly dying as a result. The team decides to send somebody to Gotham to retrieve the body so Atom can examine the body, and the scene shifts to Keystone City, where Jay Garrick is meeting with his one time rogue, the awesome Shade. Shade warns Jay that after talking to several villains, he has discovered that Prometheus is up to something extremely bad. Jay decides that the JLA should hear about this, and so he decides to take the Shade up to the JLA satellite. After examining EW, Atom discovers she had an implant in her head that would explode if she failed/disobeyed her mission, which explains why she suddenly died. Before the heroes can discuss that matter, Guardian arrives from Metropolis along with a strange device that he nabbed from the Plunderer. The JLAers study the device and send its specifications out to various geniuses around the DCU. The geniuses tell the JLAers that the device is a massive teleporter, and that it could be used to teleport an entire city anywhere in time or space. While the heroes are talking to the geniuses, Supergirl notices that Captain Marvel is missing, so she goes off to see where he got off to. Red Arrow also leaves the room, explaining that he has to call his daughter to wish her a good night. The JLAers decide they should split into groups and try to hunt down the villains Prometheus has employed. Before the JLA members leave, they are met by the recently arrived Animal Man, Donna Troy, Starfire, Starman and Congorilla, who explain that they are also after Prometheus. Congorilla immediately picks up a hostile scent, and rushes out of the room. He bumps into Supergirl in the hallway and the two spot a trail of blood. Upon following it, they come across Red Arrow, who is missing an arm and has half his face seemingly burnt off(Grrrr......). Congorilla tells Supergirl to cauterize Roy's arm with her heat vision before telling SG that they should go after whoever did that to Roy. Moments later Congorilla is hit by something, and his scream alerts the rest of the JLA, who rush over and discover Roy's bloody body laying in the hallway. Ollie freaks out, but he is eventually convinced that he should calm down so he can get whoever did that to Roy. This issue ends with Captain Marvel and Supergirl brawling in one of the rooms on the satellite while the bloody bodies of the Flash and Congorilla lay at their feet.

What I Thought: I've got to admit that this issue left me with one overriding feeling, that of pure, unadulterated rage! Suffice to say, if I were living in the DCU right now I'd most definitely be a Red Lantern after finishing this issue. To say that I'm pissed off about what happened to Roy, one of my favorite DC characters, is the understatement of the decade! I was actually enjoying this comic up until the scene with Roy, but after that, there was nothing good I could take out of this comic... Nothing. Damn, I'm still so pissed off that it's hard for me to even decide what I want to type here. I like James Robinson's writing alot, but this issue really angered me. I'll stick with this mini through its conclusion, mainly because of how much I like the rest of James' work, but I'm telling you, this comic left a very, VERY bad taste in my mouth...

Score: 4 out of 10.Why did this happen to Roy?!? Why couldn't it have happened to... Well, anybody else in this damn scene!

Speed Reviews for: Batman and Robin #3, Batgirl #1, Justice League: Cry for Justice #3

I've really been neglecting my blog these past few nights thanks to my rather steep load of homework. Since I've been back in school, this semester has thus far been the most trying. With that said, I just don't have the time to dedicate 2-3 hours blogging every night(at least until things cool off at school). Since I still want to be in touch with my fellow comic fanatics(the Legion of Losers in particular), I'm going to try a new review format tonight. Once the weekend rolls around, I should be able to go back to my normal reviews. As always, let me know what you think. On tonight's agenda, Batman and Robin #3, Batgirl #1 and Justice League: Cry for Justice #3.

Batman and Robin #3: Writer-Grant Morrison Artist-Frank Quitely.
What happened- Robin manages to escape captivity from the bizarre Pyg and almost manages to defeat Pyg single-handily. Pyg gains the upper-hand, but Batman manages to make the save after stopping Pyg's germ attack on Gotham City. Pyg winds up getting arrested and Batman discovers another mysterious domino.
What I thought- I thought this comic was horrendous(sorry Robert!)! I know there's a very thin line between insanity and genius, and I think Grant has finally crossed over to the insanity side... Pyg doing a "Sexy Disco Hot" dance for the bound Robin? Sorry, no. However, I think I might finally be warming up to Robin(Damian Wayne).
Score- 4 1/2 out of 10.Can someone please explain to me what the bloody hell is going on here!?!?!

Batgirl #1: Writer-Bryan Q Miller Penciller-Lee Garbett.
What happened- The former Batgirl(Cassandra Cain)decides to quit now that Bruce Wayne is no longer Batman, so she gives her Batgirl outfit to her best friend, Spoiler. Spoiler promised her mother that she would quit super-heroics and go to college, but she can't stay away from the allure of wearing the Bat-symbol on her chest, and she winds up fighting crime as Batgirl. Her mother finds out, to set up next issue.
What I thought- Good for Steph! I've always liked Spoiler and I thought it was shameful how DC tried to downplay the fact that she was Robin. Anyway, this was a very good opening chapter for the new Batgirl. The door is still open for Cassandra to come back(hopefully she won't though)and it should be interesting to see how the other members of the Bat-family react to Steph's new role.
Score- 8 out of 10.While it's important to beat the bad guys, it's just as important to strike a cool pose while doing it!

Justice League: Cry for Justice #3(of 7) Writer-James Robinson Artist-Mauro Cascioli
What happened- The loose assemblage of heroes(the eventual Justice League)capture and torture Prometheus to discover what his plans are. After getting nowhere, they discover "Prometheus" was actually Clayface and to make matters worse, he was acting as a human bomb, and he apparently blows up the heroes. The real Prometheus gives us his origin story and destroys the mind of his colleague, Professor IQ, since IQ knows too much about Prometheus' master plan. This issue ends with the Bobo Bennetti(!!!)and the Shade(!!!!!!)learning from a fortune teller in Opal City(!)that danger and death is coming and that it will touch EVERYBODY.
What I thought- What an awesome comic book this was! First off, the Shade appeared, which is always a huge plus. To me, this comic was nearly perfect. I especially enjoyed Prometheus' parts, it sure looks like James is taking great pains to turn Prometheus into the huge badass he was during Grant Morrison's JLA run. I can't wait for the next issue.
Score- 9 out of 10.Whenever I see the Shade, I think of the Starman series, and whenever I think about the Starman series I'm happy.

Justice League: Cry for Justice #2(of 7)

I'm getting a bit of a late start tonight, so it looks like this will be the only new comic I post. Last issue was primarily a set-up issue, and I figure this issue is going to be practically the same. The writer is James Robinson and the artist is Mauro Cascioli.

-We start things off with Hal and Ollie hanging out on a rooftop in Gotham City waiting for someone to arrive.

-From there we head to Blackhawk Island where Starman and Congorilla are having the obligatory "two super-heroes meet, have a misunderstanding, fight, learn they are on the same page and team-up" meeting. After talking they learn that they are both hunting the same enemy and they head off to Paris together.

-Hal and Ollie meet with Jason Bard, who tells them that Prometheus has been sending several groups of super-villains to steal various pieces of advance technology. Bard tells the two heroes where Prometheus' goons are hiding out and the two head off, ready to bust some heads.

-The Atom meets with Jay Garrick at the ravaged Flash Museum in Central City. Apparently, Prometheus sent some of his men into the museum where they killed three guards(all friends of Jay)and stole some technology from the Cosmic Treadmill. While Atom and Jay catch up, Captain Marvel drops in. Atom called Capt. Marvel to help him hunt Prometheus, and Atom and Marvel leave Jay behind and head to Gotham City, which is where Prometheus' trail leads.

-Back in Gotham, Ollie and Hal have taken down a mess of c-list villains and are met by Marvel and Atom, who tell Ollie and Hal that they to are looking for Prometheus as well. While the 4 heroes are talking about what their next step should be, some loser named Javelin throws a(you guessed it)javelin at the distracted heroes. Before the javelin can strike anybody, Supergirl arrives on the scene, intercepts the javelin and knocks Javelin down and out, ending this issue.

James is still setting the table in this series, but so far I like what I see. With the exception of Congorilla(come on, do we really need a talking monkey on the team?)I like each of the characters who have shown up thus far. During the aftermath of the super-villain beatdown orchestrated by Hal and Ollie, the two spoke about Prometheus and what a c-lister he was. Of course they don't realize that Prometheus isn't the laughingstock he once was, as seen in the "Faces of Evil: Prometheus" one-shot from a while back. I get the feeling that when the heroes finally do track down Prometheus, they are going to be in for quite the surprise!

So far, the team itself looks pretty good, my only complaint would be the fact that there are already three powerhouses on the team. I like Capt. Marvel, and so far Supergirl is the only female on the team, so I'm cool with the both of them being there. If it were up to me, I'd toss Congorilla off the team, but once again, that is due to my overwhelming hatred of talking monkeys. For a score, I'll give this issue an 8 1/2 out of 10. I'm a really big fan of slowly building up a story, and James is doing a great job of that here. Oh, and Mauro's artwork is still mind-blowingly fantastic.Jeez I get that Hal didn't like Bats and all, but give it a rest, the guy's dead!

Justice League: Cry for Justice #1(of 7)

A seven issue mini-series... That's kind of weird. Usually it's 4, 6 or even 8 issues. Oh well, I really don't care how many issues there are, as long as this mini meets my high expectations. The main JLA book has become almost unreadable lately, so I'm looking to this mini to give me a fix of the good JLA. With the awesome James Robinson doing the writing here, I'm really expecting big things.

-This issue begins with Hal Jordan complaining to the assembled Justice League that the League is letting down the people of Earth by waiting for villains to strike before taking action. Hal wants to go after the villains before they get the opportunity to hurt anyone else, starting with Libra and his Secret Society from "Final Crisis". Superman is SHOCKED by Hal's aggressive stance, but Hal pulls the Green Lantern card and tells Supes that since the Earth falls under his jurisdiction he's going to stamp out groups of villains such as the Secret Society before they get the chance to do anymore harm. Supes tells Hal that he won't allow Hal to run off half-cocked after the enemies of humanity. Before any fireworks can erupt, Green Arrow jumps to Hal's aid, and the two leave the rest of the League to find "justice".

-Next we head to the old Atom(Ray Palmer)and the new Atom(Ryan Choi)as they beat down Killer Moth and his gang. It seems that Killer Moth was somehow involved with the torture death of a scientist friend of Ray, and Ray wants answers as to who Moth was working for. After some quick torture(Ray shrinks down, climbs up Moth's nose and then begins to grow!), Killer Moth reveals that he was working for Prometheus. Ray then sends Ryan back to Ivy Town, telling him he'll be going after Prometheus personally to make him pay for his actions.

-From there we go to Opal City(!!!!!), where we find Starman #3(the blue one, Mikaal Tomas)who has gone to a funeral parlor to mourn the death of his boyfriend, Tony. Tony was killed simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, he was caught in the middle of a fight between STAR Labs and some unnamed villains. After leaving the funeral parlor, Mikaal throws a quick temper tantrum before deciding to avenge the death of his beau.

-We end this issue in the African Congo where Congorilla is mourning his dead tribe. Congrilla also wants revenge on some unnamed parties for those deaths.

Congorilla... Are you kidding me? What the HELL is with DC's obsession with talking monkeys??? I don't get it. I guess I never will. With the exception of the useless Congorilla, I enjoyed all of the other stories that will(eventually)link all of these heroes in their various quests for justice. I'd have to say my favorite story was the Hal/Ollie one. Those guys sure do love each other. It's really quite heartwarming. Or extremely strange. Anyway, I have to say a smile crept across my face when Ollie stood up for his man after Superman's weird, veiled threat. What was up with THAT? As a Green Lantern, Hal has every right to go after crime on Earth, since it falls under his bubble of protection. Jeez Supes, chill out! For me, this comic book was worth its price just to see Hal bitch out the Justice League while they all stood around dumbfounded.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to see James reach into his Starman books to pull out the Mikaal Tomas Starman. You're not going to find a bigger fan of James' Starman work than me, and when I saw the scene in this comic move to Opal City, I was nearly beside myself with excitement. Hell, I even picked up on the mention of Jake "Bobo" Benetti! God was Starman a great series... Anyway, any bit of Starman James can inject into this mini can only enhance things. Of course I'd love to see Jack Knight pop up, but it seems James isn't keen on bringing us any new Starman material. That's too bad.

Before I go any further, I'd be remiss not to mention the fact that Mauro Cascioli's artwork was simply beautiful. There's nothing more to say about it. It was beautiful. This was definitely a set-up issue. We were given some background into a few characters, but little else. While I would have liked some action, I'm still quite pleased with what this issue gave us. Well, with the exception of Congorilla... For a score, I'll give this comic an 8 1/2 out of 10. Beautiful artwork and a very good story makes this an easy comic to recommend.