Ethan Van Sciver’s Cover to JLA #50 - Where are the Real JLA Members?

You know what would be a good way to celebrate the 50th issue of JLA?  Actually, have someone from the "real" JLA in the issue?  No Bruce Wayne, No Superman, No Oliver Queen, No Martian Manhunter, No Wonder Woman, No Aquaman, No Hawks, No Wally West or Barry Allen.  We do get Donna Troy, Supergirl, Tim Drake, Congorrilla, Guardian, Mikaal Tomas, Mon-El, and Cyborg. 

I very much like Van Sciver's art and he does a wonderful job with this cover, but the current line-up sucks.  The JLA is it's best when we have the "A-Team" superheroes we love working together to thwart whatever threat is upon us.

Morrison's JLA run was fantastic.  Bruce Timm's JLA & JLU run on Cartoon Network was even better. Now we are stuck with a bunch of C-list superheroes running the greatest League in the world.

Will Tim Drake Eventually Become DC Comics Top Superhero?

Gfest is a HUGE fan of Tim Drake.  If you are as well, then prepare yourself for a geekgasm.  Eric Dietel at the DC Comics Fan Blog has written a beautiful recap of Tim's career, with some bold predictions for his future.  It begins here, and its well worth the read for both Tim Drake fans and fans of the DC Comics Universe overall:   

Tim Drake is a remarkable character. If he continues to grow and develop like he has since his introduction he will eventually become the most influential character in all of DC Comics. I am fully aware of the magnitude of that statement and I will try to support it.


Beginning

Tim Drake didn't show up in a typical superhero fashion. He suffered no early tragedy, he didn't possess any powers. He was simply a smart kid who loved Batman and Robin. In a lot of ways he's like many comic book readers out there. However he wasn't without special attributes, Tim Drake was then and is still today one of the smartest characters of all. As a young boy he did what no one else could do - uncover the identities of Batman and Robin, Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson respectively. He also purported the theory that Batman NEEDS a Robin to balance the darkness with light. A theory that goes a long way towards making the concept of Robin a lot less stupid than it might have originally been viewed.

First Five Pages of Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne - Early Preview

As Gfest said earlier in the week, we are huge fans of Bruce Wayne as Batman NOT Dick Grayson.  As all good disciples of Jack "The King" Kirby know Bruce Wayne has been lost in time as a result of Darkseid's Omega Sanction. He is believed dead by his closest allies with the exception of the greatest sidekick of all time, the true Robin, Tim Drake.

Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #1 launches a special, six-issue event that chronicles the return of the original Dark Knight.  Each issue spans a different era of time and featuring the dynamic artwork of a different, A-list comic book artist.

As excited as Gfest is for this event, we have one major concern - GRANT MORRISON.  High-Father himself cannot predict how this madman will draft this series.  Gfest is afraid that by issue #6 of this series, we will feel like we did after reading Final Crisis #7 - how do I wake up from this nightmare!!

Until that time, Gfest is going to remain positive that Dan Didio and Grant Morrison will restore Bruce as Batman and restore all that is right to this world.


Enjoy the first five pages of issue #1 below.

Red Robin gets "Must Read" rating from Weekly Crisis

 RED ROBIN #11

Written by Chris Yost


Art by Marcus To, Ray McCarthy, Mark McKenna, and Guy Major



• The Batgirl/Red Robin crossover continues this week as the duo make a stand against the League of Assassins, meanwhile things get a bit too intense for Tam Fox.

• This issue is a perfect mix of action and character work with fantastic pacing. Chris Yost really hits all the right notes with this, making it an incredibly enjoyable read.

• I love how perfectly Yost handles the characters. He has a fantastic understanding of the personalities in the Bat-family and how they interact. It’s a shame that he is leaving this book after next issue—its an even bigger shame that DC hasn’t snagged him to be a driving force in this franchise.

• Excellent pacing and tight plotting are paramount to this issues success. I especially loved the way the montage of potential victims closes out the issue. That is perfect denouement.

• How awesome is Marcus To? Just as Yost perfectly captures the voices of this issue’s large cast, To perfectly captures their appearances. There isn’t a character in this issue I wouldn’t mind seeing him draw full time.

• I loved the sense of movement and impact here. That really helps sell the action.

• I would easily consider purchasing any one of a number of pages in this comic. That, to me, is a perfect sign of how good it is! I want this comic on my wall!



Verdict: Must Read. Red Robin continues its run as, by far, the strongest comic in the Batman franchise at the moment. Chris Yost and Marcus To not only put together a great issue here but also prove that they have the chops to take on any character in the franchise. They’ve only got one issue left, which is a huge bummer—let’s hope there are more team-ups with this creative team to tackle these characters somewhere down the road!

Ready to buy Red Robin #11 for yourself?  Click HERE now!