I hate this book with a burning passion.

I wanted to like it.  I did.  I've read JSA every time they've appeared since All-Star Squadron.  I enjoy Fables and even Jack of Fables.  Once upon a time, I read Willingham's "Ironwood."  These guys can write good comics.

Not that you'd know it from reading this piece of garbage, mind you.  The dialog was like punching myself in the face with gloves made of crap.  The new characters spent whole pages in self-aggrandizing exposition, something that stopped happening in good comics a decade ago.  Just because a character admits that a joke is bad doesn't mean that the writer is excused from spending three panels making it, especially when the joke is out of character.  There is an egg, made of out Obsidian, and the character who looks up to and cares about everyone makes a joke about it?  Really?  In front of his father?

I realize that my next complaint is a geeky continuity thing, but Major Force, Blackbriar Thorn, this version of Eclipso, Junkyard Dog, the multi-colored guy and possibly a couple of the other obscure villains are actually dead.  If I had more faith in the writing of this book, I might say "ooh, dead villains, maybe they have a plan," but nothing about this issue inspired that kind of belief.

Also, it's good to know that Mr. Terriffic is the best at everything, except not getting stabbed in the back by boys who are talking to themselves.  Do you know how hard it is to sneak up on someone when you're talking to yourself?  Neither do I, but I bet it's pretty hard.  Unless that person is Mr. Terriffic, who is apparently also Mr. Deaf.

Even the art doesn't inspire confidence: the composition was wooden and characters were placed randomly on the page.

The only reasonable explaination for this, for two good writers to put out product this bad, is that they sub-contracted eight-year-olds to write it for them.  I won't find out, because I don't plan to buy another issue of this shit.