REVIEWS-JLA/Spectre Soul War 2

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RECOMMENDED (* stars) JLA/SPECTRE: Soul War #2 (of 2), a DC COMICS mini-series CREDITS: Written by JM DeMatteis. Art by Darryl Banks. SYNOPSIS:** The JLA try to deal with the fact that their buddy, Hal Jordan now works for God and could beat all of them without even trying while defending Earth from a race that wants us all toast on a stick. RELEASED: 02/26/03 COVER PRICE (USA): $5.95 YOUR ALTERNATE REALITY PRICE: $5.05	"...to send him (Spectre) to Vertigo and let someone there return him to the guy who served as God's hitman"

Review by Lawrence Evans In the first part of this two issue mini Hal had to kill the JLA in order to save the world from the mind absorbing Trans. By killing them he believed that the race could be defeated on the astral plane since it proved impossible to do so on the physical one. You had to couple that with the reluctance to associate with their former teammate since last time around before he became Spectre he tried to kill all of them. This second installment is more of a head-trip than the first and is filled with the questioning nature that all DeMatteis heroes have been saddled with. His stories are always internal so that limits the types of characters he can write. He does realize that Plastic Man's behavior is an act; he's just as smart as anyone else in the League but chooses not to show that side of him. Darryl Banks seems to be having fun not having to follow a rigid style here and it helps the story. Most of the issue is soul searching with a dollop of action before we get to the conclusion that ends the life of one of the characters. It's not a permanent thing but it allows the League to once again be whole. When I reviewed the first issue I stated that the DeMatteis version of the Spectre was too spiritual to survive so his book was cancelled. The intentions of DC were good to give the character a new title but the problem was the character is better suited as a supporting player, not a lead. The only way to launch a successful version of the Spectre is to send him to Vertigo and let someone there return him to the guy who served as God's hitman.

JLA/SPECTRE SOUL WAR © 2003 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.
Review © 2003 Alternate Reality, Inc.