Akash and I continue our crossover review for Part Three of the “We Are Yesterday” crossover event between our titles. My comments will be in blue, while Akash’s comments will be in purple.
Well after a “first” issue that hardly had anything to do with the crossover, and a second issue that was mostly exposition explaining the crossover, this Annual feels like the first time the main plot has really had a chance to get started. Given that, it’s definitely my favorite entry so far. It maintains a sense of fun, lighthearted adventure while still building dramatic tension through Grodd’s plotting.
This is the first time we get a look at the plot and I like the way its shaping up so far. Grodd continues to be compelling as a villain and his motivations are understandable. And yeah, he is charismatic… or he’s got that rizz as the kids say these days.
His knowledge of the future allows him to be the only one calm and rational enough to stay focused on the task at hand without letting ego get in the way of everything. He acts as a good contrast to the Bronze Age iterations of the Legion villains who seem to only be out for themselves and interested in petty crimes or clichéd “world domination” plots that Grodd points out will never work. This event is definitely framed as a turning point where both the bad guys and the good guys realize they have to team up to be effective.
He does have his moments where he loses it. He does manage to keep his cool with Luthor, but snaps at Scarecrow for not listening to what he has to say.
Also props to World’s Finest for actually using its heroes better than JLU. Both Plas and Hal have their moments as do the titular World’s Finest. What did you think about Mark Waid’s new OC Pythoness?
I actually assumed that she was an existing character. I don’t think we quite have enough on her yet to form a solid opinion, but her gimmick with how she does magic is fun.
I actually checked and she is an original. Fun fact a pythoness is a woman who can apparently see the future, so Waid may be giving us a hint as to how things go.
Yeah she definitely seems like a character whose abilities are specifically tailored for this particular plot.
Grodd continues to be the reason I want to keep reading. The fact that he is a master manipulator who can keep the likes of Luthor and Joker in check makes him pretty fun. Also, I miss when the Joker was at least someone who other villains could work with. Him being unstable is one of the reasons why Grodd tries to use past versions of the villains
Yeah it’s almost funny comparing “classic” Joker to what we normally see today. In addition to Grodd’s presence, I just really enjoyed the whole coordinated assault by the villains. It captures that 70s silliness with things like Flash being trapped in a literal block of ice, Bizarro’s dumb speech patterns, and pretty much everything Plastic Man does. At the same time, it stays interesting thanks to Grodd actually being a competent mastermind and staying one step ahead of the heroes, even when it looks like they’re winning.
I did like the little touches of Sinestro losing it when Hal showed up and Luthor actually acquiescing to Grodd when he realized that the ape knew what he was doing. Clever monkey, indeed
The main drawback for me is the art. You mentioned the weird way that Grodd’s design just totally changed form last issue, but overall I just wasn’t a fan of McDaid’s style. It’s not terrible or anything, but the blocky, cartoonish way he draws definitely seems like a step down from Moore in JLU, and even Henry in last issue of WF. I’d maybe be into it if it felt more like a conscious stylistic direction, but as-is it’s more just overly simple.
How did the artist fumble so badly on Grodd’s design? I know character models aren’t really a thing in a medium where people are mostly identified by costume, but couldn’t you at least make the gorilla designs similar?
That pet peeve aside, I get the choice but it is what holds the issue back a lot for me. Maybe we’re missing Tamra Bonvillain’s colors in this one to make it pop. The whole thing gives off the vive of a scratchy 90s comic. While that does earn some nostalgia points with me, it clashes with the rest of the story
It’s not enough to fully detract from the story for me, though. Like I said, this is my favorite entry so far and I hope it’s a sign of things to come for the direction of the story. The twist at the end definitely leaves the door open for some fun storytelling.
Akash’s score: 8.5/10
Jackson’s score: 8/10
That’s the Way of the World
The backup story gives us a look at John Stewart’s origins, but there wasn’t much meat on its bones beyond that. Its heavy use of narration and covering his whole life in only 10 pages felt almost more like an encyclopedia entry than a story unto itself.
I actively hated this backup. For all the flaws of the O’Neil/Adams era of Green Lantern, where John Stewart made his debut, you could tell that there was actual passion behind the character’s creation. This story strips away all of the nuances and sanitizes John Stewart to be as generic as possible.
And of course, where Hal Jordan was at fault in the original story, we can’t have that in the modern day. Hal has to be the inspiration for John to step up and take the mantle of Green Lantern (I guess he has a ring now even though he’s still a backup). Because Hal is the greatest, goshdarn Lantern to have ever worn that ring.
What’s even more disappointing is that this is coming from a black writer. Who could’ve done more hard-hitting stuff with this “definitive origin.” Yeah we’ll see how long this lasts.
Well it definitely wouldn’t be the first time that things were retconned so that Hal never did anything wrong.
Green Lantern stuff is a bit of a blind spot for me, so I don’t have as much attachment to John’s previous origin. As someone who is coming into this with very little preconceptions, I was mostly bored more than anything else. Like I said, it just felt like someone dryly explaining something rather than reading a story. The backstory itself felt fine, but lacked any sort of emotional punch. Sometimes something like that can be carried by the art, but this wasn’t up to that task.
Its dull, bland, and will be forgotten in a few years. Its a backup in a story where John isn’t even a character!
Akash’s score: 3/10
Jackson’s score: 5/10
Recommended If
- You’ve been waiting for the event’s story to really get started
- Light hearted adventures are something you enjoy about this title
- You want to know what John Stewart’s new canon origin is
Overall
Akash: Part 3 of “We Are Yesterday” reminds us how fun villain team-ups can be with all these different antagonistic personalities clashing against one another while working together. Grodd continues to be a compelling villain as the plot is fleshed out further. As for the John Stewart backup, I doubt I’ll remember what happened in it by the time this review is a day old.
Jackson: Things finally kick off for the “We Are Yesterday” plot and it’s a lot of fun. The multipronged heist by the Legion of Doom embraces the campiness of the Bronze Age in which its set, with each match-up against the heroes being a mix of exciting and playful. Things are kept from getting too carefree by Grodd’s master plotting behind it all, which maintains a sense of tension throughout. Aside from some weak art and a forgettable backup, this is a solid entry for the latest crossover event.
Score: 7/10
DISCLAIMER: DC Comics provided Batman News with a copy of this comic for the purpose of this review
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