Review: Justice League United #10

Justice League United #10 came out this week and was a very entertaining ending to the Infinitus Saga Legion crossover. This was a great ending for any number reasons which I will go over. But for a Supergirl fan, this is an excellent reason. There are great moments for Kara here including one scene that floored me. Floored me as it should floor all long term Supergirl fans.

I am trying to wrap my head around this month in DC Comics in the grander scheme of things. We get two months of Convergence coming up. We get a rebranding, rethinking of the entire universe afterwards. And while Justice League United is continuing, we know that this creative team is gone. We have no idea who will remain on the team. I am calling it here and now ... Supergirl won't be there. But we'll see.

Indeed, when you read this issue, it could easily be read as a 'final issue'. And that is a shame because I have really loved this book. Thanks to Jeff Lemire for putting together a diverse and engaging team. Thanks for writing an interesting Supergirl without making her too hard and bull-headed. And thank you thank you thank you for writing a great Legion! We need a Legion book by Lemire!

Neil Edwards wraps up his work on the book as well (as far as we know) and continues to do a great job with the massive cast of the arc. The action of this issue ends relatively quickly leading to more character moments and dramatic scenes. Nice stuff on those quiet moments too!

You might remember that last issue J'Onn lobotomized Ultra, ending the Infinitus threat. Unfortunately, Brainy had already fired his ultimate missile, resulting in a black hole opening up in Thanagarian space.

Byth wriggles free of Colossal Boy's grip and falls into the black hole, nearly taking Equinox with him.

And so we come to the first great Supergirl moment. With Star Girl and Equinox about to also fall in, Supergirl streaks to the rescue, grabbing them and flying them away from the gravity well. Great semi-splash here of a determined Kara saving her friends. Love it.

While the Star Boy tries to slow down the black hole's effects, the others go into rescue mode. Unfortunately, Thanagar is in danger of slipping into the black hole, destroying the whole planet.

When all seems lost, Dreamy gets a prophetic vision, two planets in proximity to each other. The answer is clear. Thanagar must be teleported away.

Hmmm .... okay ....

It isn't going to be easy. But if all the Rannian fleet fire Zeta beams at the planet's poles, and with an amplification boost from Mysa, it just might work.

I am a big fan of the White Witch so it was nice to see her have a little moment in the sun. She is able to work her magic and Thanagar gets blipped away. The whole planet is now in the same system, the same orbit as Rann! Now that is interesting and certainly opens up an opportunity for someone at DC to do a 'Cosmic' book looking at the new dynamic of Rann and Thanagar.

And no doubt, they have saved Thanagar.

But is the black hole still out there? I guess so.

We have seen Lemire make a hodge-podge Legion composed of members of every continuity and reboot. Does anyone remember a story where Mysa actually did an amplification spell on Takron Galtos?

Now, the best Supergirl moment of the book. And the best moment of the book for me. And a fantastic moment for Supergirl fans everywhere.

Kara finds Brainy to let him know that everyone is gathering for final goodbyes. Brainy stammers around Kara a bit. And then ...

He says this is the first time she has met him. But he comments on something happening between them in the future.

Lemire references a Brainy/Kara relationship. We haven't seen a whiff of that in the New 52.

I love it!

So all that is left is character moments as the two teams part. I say it all the time. I love the small moments in comics as much as the big ones.

Here, Brainy has to admit that his plan as leader would have failed. Dreamy actually was able to save the day and she was only around because she disobeyed Brainy's orders. He nominates her for leader.

I have always loved the Dreamy/Brainy relationship. There is some grit there. They are both smart and strong-willed. I love when respect grows out of there differences.

And then this nice moment. Dawnstar gets to meet her hero from the past ... Equinox.

That just makes sense. And it is a beautiful small moment that makes me like both characters more.

Great stuff.

And luckily, Lemire removes one of the plots that has irked me all along. Brainy is able to remove what I call the 'zeta beam insanity' between Alana and Adam. They can now be together.

I always hate the 'powers turn on an off randomly' or 'people change places randomly' storylines because they always seemed forced. The switch never happens when someone would die. The switch never happens when someone is in the bathroom.

I am so happy this is gone!

The Legion  head back to the future, taking Ultra with them. And the Justice League end up back in Canada.

The first two arcs basically revolved around Ultra. With the big threat gone, what happens to the team.

Thankfully, Green Arrow and J'Onn recognize that this team is strong and worth keeping together. Suddenly we are talking about team names and monitor duty!

Like many super-hero teams, they were brought together by chance. But they stick together. Very classic!

And then the third great Supergirl moment.

Courtney and Mi are all excited that they are part of a superhero team! And Mi invites both Courtney and Kara to head into town to meet her friends. Happily, Kara accepts.

You might recall Lemire calling Supergirl stubborn. She was an outsider. I worried that she would be a foil to Star Girl and Equinox. That they would hate each other.

So to see the three become friends and hang out socially made me happy.

Of course, Byth all along kept talking about how he had lived the Ultra story already. He talked about things being different, changing, etc. Now we learn why. The black hole sends him back in time, to prehistoric Thanagar, where he begins his life again. He will arrange for Ultra and Infinitus to happen again, in his future, in hopes of changing things.

I guess that makes Byth immortal?

This was a tremendous arc and great first year for this title. I suppose it appealed more to Legion fans and those buying the book for the JLU might have felt cheated. But for me, this sizzled. And even if you aren't a Legion fan, the quality of the book was high.

And so I have to worry about what is happening next. Where is this book going? Who is writing and drawing? Who is on the team? I will miss Lemire and his approach to the characters.

Kudos to Lemire, McKone, and Edwards.

Overall grade: A