JLA #93 - Mobile Edition

DC Comics
JLA #93
By Koppy McFad
March 1, 2004 - 11:48

DC Comics
Writer(s): Denny O'Neil
Penciller(s): Tan Eng Huat
Cover Artist(s): Doug Mahnke, Tom Nguyen

The final chapter of the three-part "Extinction" storyline ends just as we thought it would. The only surprise is how unexciting it all is. Alien decides that humans are destroying themselves and so he tries to "help" them along. How very 'relevant.' It is all done in a heavy-handed, moralistic tone that will move no one. Even worse, the alien's secret weapon is so ineffectual, the League handles it all in just two panels. The writing and the characters come off as incredibly weak. In fact, most of the League basically just sit around while Superman and John Stewart handle all the heavy lifting. Even the "twist" ending has all the impact of strong breeze. It is hard to tell whether O'Neil's instincts had just failed him or if his writing style really is so out of date.

Tan's art meanwhile seems to have gotten worse. There has been a lot of talk on how poorly his faces were drawn in this title but beyond this, there was little of the expressiveness and innovation that caught people's eye in "Doom Patrol." You get the feeling that Tan actually dislikes these JLA characters. The few saving graces-- Tan's depiction of Flash's super-speed, show his potential but he clearly wasn't giving his all in this issue.