JLA Classified #21 - DC

Ok, as I've stated before, this format is already in use with Legends of the Dark Knight. This is a book that tells stories, from any timeperiod of the JLA's long existence. They can be from any group, and aren't necessarily in any kind of chronological order. Again, like LotDK, I like this because, with the sheer number of characters in this book, there's just no way they can have a monthy title that tells every aspect of every story. So these stories tend to be a bit more experimentive. Which I like. This story arc has been about a dictator who obtains, or maybe it's his sister, a super being capable of bringing people back to life and, in doing so, instill in them a form of super power. Therefore, being a dictator, he takes soldiers, kills them, then bring them back to like to form his own super army. He then uses this super army to blackmail other countries into making him a sort of Supreme Dictator. So you can guess how that's going to end up. The jist of this story though, I believe, is to introduce these characters, especially the Hypothetical Woman, create a sort of imposed history, then bring them back in the regular title after they've been defeated and reborn, or defeated and upgraded or whatever. Because, at the end of this particular story, the wrapup on these super soldiers, and the Hypothetical Woman, is kind of vague. There's a lot of room left for interpretation of what could happen to these characters in the future. But anyways, I really admire Gail Simone's writing skills. I first notice her at Marvel, then she came over to DC and started on Birds of Prey, and now she seems to be everywhere. Good for her. And Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, has been one of my favorite artists for close to 30 years. He is someone that I believe the inker can make or break him. If the inker is to heavy on his pencils, the artwork just looks average. But, if the inker uses a lighter stroke over his pencils, his artwork can be fabulous. Check out the Treasury Edition with the Joker and the Hulk if you don't believe me. Sean Phillips inks him on this storyline, and I'm not overly thrilled by it. You can still see Garcia Lopez' unique style, especially the way his art flows from frame to frame, but it's not as crisp and clean as I've seen. Overall this was a decent storyline, and as I've said before, I really like this format. This is also done in JSA Classified. It's kind of a neat way to have a spin-off of a team book without having to create a whole new team, or having an East Coast / West Coast thing. Which, by the way, I haven't seen work yet.