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Of Embassies and Origins - Justice League International Part 2 (Eaglemoss Collection v77)

  Review: Since we are doing a series of reviews focusing on Booster Gold over his nearly 40-year history, we include this one as a collection of some of his earliest appearances, dating to late 1987. That places the original publish date of these tales while his original solo series was still going strong.  This book is a beautiful, glossy hard-cover with smooth and heavy-stock paper inside, although the sometimes-low print reproduction quality leads to blurred and hard to read word balloons on occasion. It is also a rare book here in North America, as Eaglemoss Collections targeted UK fans with this series. At this point in the history of the 1987-rebooted Justice League, they have gained official United Nations recognition and sanction. To ensure their reach truly is global, they rebrand as Justice League International (as does the title of the series!) and they open new headquarters buildings around the world: New York, Paris and Moscow are included here. As this is a product of 19
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Past, Present and Future's End: Aquaman and the Others volume 2 - Alignment Earth

Cover of Aquaman and the Others Alignment Earth


Review:

To celebrate the recent release of the movie Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, I am revisiting some past Aquaman stories in graphic novel format and posting reviews.

The stories collected in this second and final volume bring the ongoing series Aquaman and the Others to an end. They touch on some unfinished business from the past, they wrap up the series in their present, and cross over with the larger Futures End extravaganza.

Writer Dan Jurgens sets up some powerful team drama and conflicts while unpacking some details of our heroes and their past. 

Most notably, did The Operative really kill one of the ghosts haunting Prisoner of War? When that spirit refuses to relinquish control of Torrez's body and double-crosses the team, the whole world is put at risk.

Vostok-X also delves into his past and discovers Soviet-era secrets that make him susceptible to joining KGBeast and Cheshire's gang of super-villains.

Mera and Ya'Wara's animosity flares up on occasion, too, as they both resent the other's influence on and feelings for Aquaman. The surprise twist and confrontation in the Futures End tie-inns show that, five years in the future, nothing is resolved in their tiff.

Yes, Jurgens has mixed several creative ideas into a team already loaded with potential from their international diversity. So why does it all fall flat? It all feels contrived, untethered. The action feels forced and keeps interrupting the more interesting bits.

Lan Medina gives us decent super-team art on the final issues of the ongoing series. Not over-stylized or excessively sexy, not too dark, his work is clear and natural throughout. In other words, a fine if unexceptional job.

You'll want to read this for the sake of completion and to say au revoir to this diverse cast of characters. But it feels like so much unfulfilled potential.

Description:

Empowered with Atlantean artifacts, the Others were Aquaman’s first team from before he ever joined the Justice League. Now the King of Atlantis is reunited with the Operative, Ya’Wara, Prisoner-of-War and Vostok-X. Together, the Others are a powerful force for good...but there’s a new team that’s just as powerful, and they’re out to reshape the world in their own image.

They call themselves Mayhem. Led by mercenaries KGBeast and Cheshire, they’ve stolen the launch codes to a Soviet-era satellite full of nuclear weapons, and they’ve got them pointed at Earth. Whether they want to see us pay or watch us burn, only the Others can stop them.

But Mayhem have ties to several members of the Others, and not everyone’s allegiances are clear. When the final battle comes, who will be fighting to protect the Earth...and who will be fighting to destroy it?

Writer Dan Jurgens (THE NEW 52: FUTURES END) and artist Lan Medina (FABLES) pit Aquaman’s first team against their greatest threat yet!

Collects: #6-11, Aquaman: Futures End #1, and Aquaman and the Others: Futures End #1

Authors: Dan Jurgens
Artists: Lan Medina, Allen Martinez
Published By: DC Comics
Published When: June 30 2015
Parental Rating: Teen
ISBN: 978-1401253318
Pages: 176 pages


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