Hello again GEN readers! It’s Jill a.k.a. The Nerdy Bird back with another installment of DoubleDCoverage. Geoff Johns lets us say hello again to a beloved character while he says goodbye to the team that put him on the map. Reviews for Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #4 and Justice Society of America #26 are ahead, also, check out my star ratings for my other pulls from last Wednesday! 

FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #4 (OF 5)

Good things come to those who wait. This Final Crisis tie-in is the perfect example of that. We waited for #3 and were well rewarded, we waited again for #4 thinking our patience had already been used up but once again were giddy with excitement as another beloved character was resurrected. Any delay was worth this payoff.

Starman finally gets to digging up some old bones in present time while in the 31^st century the Legion is still in fierce battle with Superboy-Prime and the Legion of Supervillains. Kid Flash (Bart Allen) is quick to jump into the fray but he’s not enough to stop a few members of the three Legions from being killed. He takes the time to explain his recent “death.” One of the Brainiac 5’s says that even if the Rogues hadn’t killed him he would have died as a result of accelerated aging. Brainy sending Legionnaires back to bottle up his youth was the only way to have saved him. But he’s not done yet. Gates and Light Lass travel with Brainy to the old Fortress of Solitude for the last aspect of his plan.

Superman is trying to talk sense into Prime when Time Trapper appears and drags him and the other founders of the Legion to the end of time. Prime is temporarily affected by Kryptonite somehow but races off to the Fortress when Modru warns him it must be destroyed. This is when Polar Boy, Wildfire and Dawnstar return from the past with the strand of Lex Luthor’s hair and it all makes sense. On Brainy’s orders, Starman buried a Kryptonian Chrysalis underneath the Fortress. Fresh human DNA was needed to complete the healing process that had been going on inside for 1000 years. Connor Kent is resurrected.

He hasn’t been gone for very long but Connor Kent’s return is no less powerful. Seeing a two-page spread of him punching out Prime while screaming, “Call me Superboy!” was utterly triumphant. Of course the joy is short-lived as Time Trapper is revealed to be a much older version of Prime but it all adds up to one exciting issue that was absolutely worth the wait.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #26

It’s extremely sad to see Geoff Johns end his run on JSA but it’s apropos he should close out with a one-off issue focusing on the character he created in memory of his sister, Stargirl.  The title itself, “Black Adam Ruined My Birthday,” makes me stop and chuckle and remember all the great stories and character moments we’ve seen from him over the last ten years. The issue is full of them.

Courtney Whitmore (Stargirl) is rightly pissed off that the JSA’s encounter with Black Adam landed on her birthday. She is a teenager after all, those kinds of things are important, not to mention crushes on boys. Like Atom Smasher. On the way home from school her friend Mary points out she told everyone she didn’t want anything special for her birthday but she tells her she obviously didn’t mean it. So it’s a good thing upon entering her house she’s greeted by family and friends screaming, “Surprise!”

What follows are heartfelt scenes between Courtney and the rest of the guests. Starman, quirky as he is, presents her with her own shirt and cosmic staff as gifts. When he eats all the cake and ice cream, Hourman, Liberty Bell, Damage and Judo Master go shopping for more to the surprise of onlookers. Jakeem presents her with something from all the “kids” on the team – a picture of them dedicated “To Our Teacher.” It’s something Courtney never realized she was. After getting embarrassed by Mary blurting out something about Atom Smasher, she bounces back when she realizes her dentist appointment is the next day. She’s finally getting her braces off.

The whole team joins her but it turns out she’s stuck with them for another year. Such is life. While leaving the dentist’s office Starman turns to us and says, “Thanks,” a gracious note to fans that Johns appreciates his readership and them joining him on his journey. In case you wanted something more direct, a banner below reads, “From our family to yours, thanks for reading. AD FINEM TEMPRIS.” It’s Latin for “To the end of time.” Thanks for the memories Geoff.

BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL – THE UNDERGROUND – Danny Devito Penguin makes an appearance as the villains go wild in Gotham. And not one, but TWO Catwomen!

GREEN LANTERN #40 – It’s time for a raid on the Vega System as a new law in enacted. Hal is having trouble controlling his color scheme and the backup feature needs his own Saturday morning cartoon. 

SUPERMAN #687 – Mon-El is getting his feet wet fighting crime which is all well and good but my god, Zatara is a little prick.

TEEN TITANS #70 – I’m sorry, I was distracted by Starfire’s butt and Vigilante’s crotch. Glad Ravagers back though.

TRINITY #48 – Yet ANOTHER Trinity arises. Now there’s a Trinity of Trinities. This is getting way out of control.

WONDER WOMAN #31 – Giant. Flying. Elephant. Plus, oh crap, Genocide is really Diana from the future.

So, what did YOU think? What are you excited to be reading and what could you live without?

My pull list for next week: 

BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL- THE NETWORK
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN! #1 (OF 6)
THE FLASH: REBIRTH #2 (OF 5)
POWER GIRL #1
SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #3 (OF 12)
TRINITY #49

Which two should I review for DoubleDCoverage #7?

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