The Green versus The Grey
By: Andrew Hines
In the last few months, we've seen a few of the "old guard" join the fight for a better Earth. The ranks of the soon-to-be-formed Justice Society now include Flash, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern and Atom. We even see appearances and a mention or two of others in here that are among the founding members of the classic JSA. We even see Terry Sloan come back into the picture in a rather intriguing way. The Green and the Grey are going strong in both universes. Seeing that alone makes this worth a read. I can't reality say much here without bringing in spoilers, sorry.
James Robinson keeps surprising me at every turn, giving me everything I've been hoping for and even some stuff I didn't know I wanted to see. The pacing is good but not great, and the transitions are about the same. One page leads seamlessly right into the next. Even the concept of the Grey on Earth 2 looks fantastic. Then there are the inclusions of such folks as Wesley Dodds, the original Sandman, who is apparently from the Great White North. There is a mention of Jay "pulling a Ted Grant" which just filled me with fanboy glee. The dialogue is good, though not his best work. I can't decide whether the most fantastic part is Alan Scott's new take-charge attitude or the cliff-hanger ending.
The art is still good, with Nicola Scott being as awesome as she is. Trevor Scott is doing a good job on the inks, giving us decent lighting effects. Alex Sinclair's colors are good and make the roots that Grundy commands very organic/decayed in color. The team is doing a better job on every issue, slowly pushing onward and upward. The best look is on the Wolrd Army's Central Command Center. Despite the fact that it looks alarmingly like a room you'd find on the second Death Star, it's a really cool space. The World Army's uniforms are a nice touch as is Wesley Dodds' new look, particularly his gas mask.
I give this one a "B+" on account of the slightly slow pacing in this one. We don't really get much farther from where we ended in issue 4. I'd love to sit here and tell you that it's the best stuff I've ever read, but I really think he needs about 3 or 4 extra months to bring in everyone to the Justice Society.
