Justice League of America #51

When James Robinson sticks to straight-up super-heroics, he's pretty darn good. This issue opens with a ton of DCU heroes (both actually appearing and mentioned) trying to get into a sealed-off Washington D.C. It seems that the weird energy that was destroying the Crime Syndicate's alternate Earth started leaking into the main DCU, and the JLA had to stop it. Some of the heroes are concerned that only a new, relatively inexperienced Justice League is inside the bubble to stop the villains, but Superman is pretty confident. (It's funny, this is actually kind of close to the opening story arc in Shadowpact.)

The new League is coming together nicely. NightBats is a natural fit, he's been here before. I've stated before how much I love Donna Troy's new two-fisted Amazon attitude. Jesse Quick hasn't had a chance to make her mark yet, but clearly Robinson likes her. Congorilla and Mikaal Starman didn't make it to DC, so they don't have much to do here. Supergirl is doing well as the team powerhouse, although this "Dark Supergirl" development is worrying. I don't think Supergirl will stay bad, though, this is more of a chance to show her mental strength in addition to her physical powers. Jade is Robinson's current pet, and while I haven't warmed up to her yet, I don't mind what he's doing with her.

I absolutely love what Robinson is doing with Blue Jay. Not only did he not die like I thought a few issues ago, he actually lays a great smackdown on Owlman. I think Blue Jay would be a fantastic addition to the regular lineup, a sort of combo of the Atom and Hawkman.

Mark Bagley was born to draw super-comics. While Omega's design is a bit reminiscent of Onslaught, there is no doubt he's an A-level bad guy. The CSA and JLA both look great too.

Good