Sometimes it is nice to have a low-key team building issue. Especially an issue like this, which is Geoff Johns' and Dale Eaglesham's goodbye to the team. The book doesn't have a lot of action as we see Star Girl's surprise birthday party. There are plenty of nice character moments as the team members recall their greatest adventures and how Star affected the outcome. I loved how the "old man" faction totally accepted Star as a veteran. She's been a part of the team so long that they really seem to respect her and want her around, which is a great change from how those grumpy dudes have been recently. Wildcat's opnion on Stripsey was another great Geoff Johns-style move, making Wildcat finally appreciate how great it can be for an adult hero to let himself be a sidekick to a kid. It was a touching scene and made me more appreciative of both STRIPE and Wildcat. After the party, the entire team follows Star to the dentist while she gets her braces off. Everyone is disappointed when she has to keep them, but Starman's reaction is wonderful. In fact, he's pretty darn amusing throughout the issue as he wraps up Star's possesions and "re-gifts" them to her, since he's not totally clear on the whole birthday present concept. This issue was a great example of how Johns can distill characters down to their essence in just a line or two of dialogue. I will miss his work on this book which has been one of my favorites since it first launched. I remember coming around during issue 3 of the first JSA series, and thinking this Johns guy was pretty good...
Dale Eaglesham excels in this issue. He has clearly enjoyed getting to set this huge team in Norman Rockwell-type poses and situations, and he gets two here: the birthday party and the crowd at the dentist. The issue is full of affection for the cast and it was a joy to see.
Good
1 comment:
A rather sweet issue but I'm still not convinced Court deserves vet status - she's a great team player, not a legend.
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