Eclipso

Justice League of America (vol. 2) #58

Issue Credits

Writer: James Robinson
Penciller: Daniel Sampere and Miguel Sepulveda
Inker: Wayne Faucher and Miguel Sepulveda
Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Editor: Rex Ogle and Eddie Berganza

Cover Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse
Cover Penciller: Brett Booth
Cover Inker: Norm Rapmund

Variant Cover Artist: Aaron Lopresti
Variant Cover Colourist: Hi-Fi

Quotes

Atom: Big green-blue light says “follow me,” I follow.

Synopsis "Eclipso Rising Part Five: The Destined and the Dying"

Eclipso, the former spirit of vengeance, seeks to kill god by destroying the planet Earth. He has eclipsed a group of heroes and villains, each of whom has some power over shadows, and has led them in a successful assault on the Emerald City of the Starheart. Using the captured Starheart energy Eclipso summoned and apparently killed the Spectre. Then with power stolen in turn from the Spectre Eclipso cleaved the moon in two.
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Justice League of America (vol. 2) #56

Issue Credits

Writer: James Robinson
Penciller: Brett Booth
Inker: Norm Rapmund
Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Associate Editor: Rex Ogle
Executive Editor: Eddie Berganza

Cover Penciller: Brett Booth
Cover Inker: Norm Rapmund
Cover Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse

Variant Cover Artist: David Mack

Quotes

Congorilla: I’ve met your kind before. Elder god? Many-sided one? CODSWALLOP! Sulking brutes and bullies, the lot of you!

The Shade: Ahh, Batman. Hello. Hello. What is it when you and one other her team up — oh, yes, now I remember — so which am I? Brave or bold?

Synopsis "Eclipso Rising Part Three: The Battle for the Emerald City"

Previously: Eclipso reappeared due to mystical disturbances caused by the Starheart’s battle with the JSA and JLA. He forcibly recruited a group of eclipsed shadow-powered heroes and villains and used them to stage an assault on the Emerald City (the community of magical creatures established on the Moon in the wake of the Starheart’s defeat). He eclipsed the JLA’s Jade while Jesse Quick rushed the frail Alan Scott to safety. At that same moment the League’s forces were split between the Emerald City and the sudden reappearance of Doomsday. It rapidly trashed the JLA’s Watchtower satellite and teleported away with Supergirl.

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Justice League of America (vol. 2) #55

Issue Credits

Writer: James Robinson
Penciller: Brett Booth
Inker: Norm Rapmund
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse
Associate Editor: Rex Ogle
Executive Editor: Eddie Berganza

Cover Penciller: Brett Booth
Cover Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse

Variant Cover Inker: Norm Rapmund
Variant Cover Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse
Variant Cover Penciller: Dan Jurgens

Quotes

Batman (Grayson): I raid the arsenal… Bruce’s… all the toys he dreamed up to fight his best friend Clark… in the event he had to… all the devices to fight things kryptonian…

Starman [referring to Doomsday]: We have a problem.
Saint Walker: That is an understatement.

Synopsis "Eclipso Rising Part Two: Mayhem"

Previously: The magical chaos created by the Starheart’s approach (“The Dark Things”) triggered Eclipso’s eclipse of Bruce Gordon. While the JLA has been fighting the Crime Syndicate (“JLA: Omega”) Eclipso was been gathered a team of eclipsed shadow-powered supervillains, superheroes, and Elder gods including the Shade and Shadow Thief. His next target is Jade, the daughter of the ailing hero Alan Scott (Justice League of America (vol. 2) #54 (April 2011)). Elsewhere, the behemoth Doomsday has returned and is attacking the heroes who appeared following Superman’s death. It has already attacked and kidnapped Steel (Steel #1) and the Eradicator (Outsiders #37).

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Justice League of America (vol. 2) #54

Issue Credits

Writer: James Robinson
Penciller: Brett Booth
Inker: Norm Rapmund
Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Associate Editor: Rex Ogle
Editor: Eddie Berganza

Cover Penciller: Brett Booth
Cover Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse

Variant Cover Artist: David Mack

Quotes

Eclipso: For my next trick, Bruce–
Bruce Gordon: Yes, I’m sure it’s a “doozy”.
Eclipso: I’m sure it is.. if I knew what “doozy” meant.”

Eclipso: Syththunu was once feared on Earth. Revered, Why, even the mage Arion respected its dark power. Now he rests forgotten. Come Elder One, it’s time to be remembered.

Synopsis "Eclipso Rising Part One: Shadow Warriors"

Previously in “The Dark Things”: Billions of years ago the Guardians of the Universe gathered together the remaining wild magic in the Universe. They then used equal amounts of light and shadow to bind it into a relic called the Starheart. A fragment of the Starheart gave Alan Scott, the Golden Age Green Lantern, his powers and through him passed power over light and shadow to his children Jade and Obsidian. When the White Lantern resurrected Jade it jolted the Starheart and causing it to approach the Earth. Its chaotic and baneful presence caused all manner of magic and light/shadow superpowers to swing widely out of control. Jade was final able to subdue it by syphoning part its dark energy into herself.

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JLA Solicitations for April 2011

DC’s Solicitations for April 2011 are now online. Generation Lost reaches its final issue and the ultimate confrontation with Maxwell Lord. The big addition to this months solicitations are DC’s new age ratings.These run from E for everybody, to T for Teen (12 and older in their definition), T+ for older teens (16 years and older), and mature which is pretty much what they’d had on the Vertigo line. Under this system both Justice League of America and Justice League: Generation Lost are rated Teen while Young Justice is rating E. I understand why people want rating, but I’ve normally found them to be pretty useless.

Ongoing

The Justice League are firmly in the grasp of Eclipso this month as “The Rise of Eclipso” continues. We also get an 80-page giant that themed towards horror/dark foes. I’m unfamiliar with the talent-line up, but it’s interesting to see Superman, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman back on a JLA cover.

Justice League of America (vol. 2) #56

Credits: Writer: James Robinson; Penciller: Brett Booth; Inker: Norm Rapmund; Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse; Letterer: Rob Leigh; Cover Penciller: Brett Booth; Cover Inker: Norm Rapmund; Cover Colourist: Andrew Dalhouse; Variant Cover Artist: David Mack; Associate Editor: Rex Ogle; Executive Editor: Eddie Berganza
Solicitation copy:“The Rise of Eclipso” continues as the JLA and the villainous lord of darkness have a showdown on the dark side of the moon!
Published:20 April 2011
Length:32 pages
Cost:$2.99

Young Justice (vol. 2) #3

Credits: Writer: Art Baltazar and Franco; Artist: Mike Norton; Colourist: Alex Sinclair; Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual; Cover Artist: Mike Norton; Cover Colourist: Alex Sinclair; Editor: Michael McCalister and Jim Chadwick
Solicitation copy:
Published:20 April 2011
Length:
Cost:$2.99

Oneshots

Justice League of America 80-Page Giant 2011

Credits: Writer: Adam Glass, Steve Yockey, Pepe Caldelas, Joe Prado, David Macho, Marc Bernardin, Roberto Cruz, and Frank Mastromaro; Artist: Dennis Calero, Mikel Janin, Joe Prado, Miguel Munera, Vicente Cifuentes, and Scott McDaniel; Colourist: Hi-Fi, Barbara Ciardo, Stefani Rennee, Rod Reis, Javier Mena, Marcelo Maiolo, Nathan Eyring, and Kyle Ritter; Letterer: Jarad K. Fletcher, Rob Leigh, Patrick Brosseau, Dezi Sienty, Travis Lanham, John J. Hill, Dave Sharpe, and Carlos M. Mangual; Penciller: Marco Castiello, Emanuela Lupacchino, Ig Guara, and Rodney Buchemi; Inker: Vincenzo Acunzo, Guillermo Ortego, Rodney Ramos, and Jose Marzan; Special Thanks: Diego Garcia; Cover Artist: Art Germ; Editor: Kate Stewart and Rex Ogle; Executive Editor: Eddie Berganza
Solicitation copy:As the team faces Eclipso in the the pages of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, Adam Glass, producer/writer for TV’s Supernatural, joins other talents to take us on a journey revealing key battles between the World’s Greatest Heroes and mystical, hellish beings, including the Demon, Zatanna – and an object that could blackened the heroes’ very souls
Published:6 April 2011
Length:80 pages
Cost:$5.99

Crossovers

JLA #55 was part of the “Rein of Doomsday” crossover as it meanders through DC’s line. The next part is also by JLA writer James Robinson and appeared in the Superman/Batman Annual.

Superman/Batman Annual #5

Solicitation copy:Picking up where March’s JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #55 left off, “Reign of Doomsday” amps up the danger as Supergirl and Batman are trapped aboard the Justice League satellite with Cyborg Superman and Doomsday — and both villians want to tear them limb from limb! A “who’s who” of the DCU shows up to aid in the battle, but there’s something different about Doomsday — something even the Justice League of America might not be prepared for! The story continues in this month’s SUPERBOY #6!
Published:6 April 2011
Length:56 pages
Cost:$4.99

Justice League: Generation Lost

Justice League: Generation Lost concluded with the double-sized issue #24. It’s been a long road getting here with two-years worth of stories compressed into a single year.

Justice League: Generation Lost #23

Credits: Writer: Judd Winick; Penciller: Fernando Dagnino; Inker: Raul Fernandez; Colourist: Hi-Fi; Editor: Brian Cunningham and Rex Ogle; Cover Artist: Dustin Nguyen; Variant Cover Artist: Aaron Lopresti; Variant Cover Colourist: Hi-Fi
Solicitation copy:In issue #23, WONDER WOMAN and the JLI find themselves face-to-face with the ultimate weapon Maxwell Lord has been planning since the beginning of GENERATION LOST. The world seems to be revolting against the human race. Can our heroes defeat Lord’s machinations?
Published:13 April 2011
Length:32 pages
Cost:$2.99

Justice League: Generation Lost #24

Credits: Writer: Judd Winick; Penciller: Aaron Lopresti; Inker: Matt Ryan; Colourist: Hi-Fi; Letterer: Travis Lanham; Cover Artist: Dustin Nguyen; Variant Cover Artist: Kevin Maguire; Variant Cover Colourist: Hi-Fi; Editor: Rex Ogle and Brian Cunningham
Solicitation copy:And in the extra-sized issue #24, the final battle is here! But who will be the victor?
Published:27 April 2011
Length:48 pages
Cost:$4.99

Trade Paperbacks

“The Rise of Eclipso” sneak-peaks

Today (Wednesday 19th) sees the publication of JLA #53 the last part of JLA: Omega (preview here) and the last issue to be pencilled by Mark Bagley. Mark has been a DC exclusive artist for a few years now providing art for Kurt Busiek’s Trinity weekly and then Justice League of America. He’s now returned to Marvel to kill Spider-Man. His replacement at DC on JLA is Brett Booth who has already done the art for Starman/Congorilla #1. Booth has commented on his blog that he’s on the series “through the summer” at least.

The next big story-arc is called the “Rise of Eclipso” and starts in JLA #54 with a story focusing on Eclipso. DC recently showed off three-pages of Booth’s pencils on their blog.

The preview shows Eclipso gathering a group of shadow powered individuals including the Shade and Nightshade of the Shadowpact, both of whom are noted as being missing by Congo Bill during Starman/Congorilla. The third character shown is Arcata a Mexican shadow-teleporter from the Planet DC Annuals.

DC also teased other details from thee arc including:

Shade.
Doomsday.
Blue Lantern Saint Walker joins the League to ensure that all will be well.
Alpha Lantern Boodikka and Supergirl on the trail of the Cyborg Superman.
The return of one of the DCU’s classic villains, Eclipso.

A lot of those events – Cyborg Superman, Doomsday, and Saint Walker – show up in JLA #55 as a chapter of the “Rein of Doomsday” crossover. Doomsday has reappeared and has been attacking/kidnapping the four heroes who appeared in Metropolis following his murder of Superman. The crossover continues in Superman/Batman Annual #5 (cover shown below) which will be written by Justice League writer James Robinson with art by Miguel Sepulveda.

The annual is a team-up between the JLA’s Batman and Supergirl against Doomsday.

Robinson interview at Newsarama

Just before Christmas (yeah I’m still playing catch-up) JLA writer James Robinson gave a pair of interviews to Newsarama about the new members in his JLA and about the next Eclipso arc.

The interview came hot on the heels of DC’s announcement with the March 2011 Solicitations that Saint Walker of the Blue Lanterns would be joining the Justice League. Walker was a character James wanted for the JLA from the moment he saw him, but things had to be synchronised with the Green Lantern franchise:

When I first saw him, I immediately liked Walker and I saw him as a potential sort of – I don’t know, an alien figure, in the way it would fit my team, in the way that J’onn J’onzz would fit the Big 7.

So Walker continues the pattern of the replacement League where each member of the current JLA is a proxy for one of the classic founders.

And on the current storyline James Robinson commented that:

This is all part of a much bigger story. This is my first foray into the Crime Syndicate, but it isn’t the last. Readers of my Starman series have seen me build a big, overriding storyline, and that’s what I’m doing here with Justice League of America. All of what I’m doing with the Crime Syndicate, and the Omega Man, is a first salvo with these characters. They’ll be coming back later for a much bigger role even than this one, in another storyline that I have cooking.

The seeds for “JLA: Omega” were planted in his first issue (JLA #38 in 2009) so he’s already shown a long-term plan. That there is still stuff to come is interesting.

The second part of the interview discussed the replacement of Mark Bagley (who is back at Marvel) with Brett Booth. He also talks about the return of the classic Bruce Gordon Eclipso and how JLA #54 will be an “Eclipso solo story more than anything” that sets up the arc proper in JLA #55.

JLA Soliciations for February 2011

The DC Comics solicitations for February 2011 are now live. The big new launch is Young Justice #1, the JLA face Eclipso, and we get the new origin of Maxwell Lord.

The Justice League of America

The main JLA title sees the start of a new arc which follows-up the White Lantern prophecy/command given to Jade in “The Dark Things”. Writer James Robinson tweeted that he is being joined by a new artist called Brett Booth and Booth posted on his blog that he’s on-board for four issue (presumable the length of “The Rise of Eclipso” arc). It’s a shame to see Mark Bagley leave – if indeed his departure is permanent – but, he’s probably drawn more pages of JLA than most other artists ever will.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #54
Written by JAMES ROBINSON; Art by BRETT BOOTH & NORM RAPMUND; Cover by BRETT BOOTH; 1:10 Variant Cover by DAVID MACK
“The Rise of Eclipso” begins here as the dark energies that have surrounded Earth are harnessed once more to usher in the great Lord of Darkness! And it looks like the corruption of all mankind starts with the members of the Justice League! When things go dark, which teammate poses the greatest threat to mankind – Obsidian or Jade?
DC Universe / 32pg. / Color / $2.99 US / On Sale February 16, 2011

Just when we thought that the JLA title was clear from crossovers DC have announced that JLA #55 will feature Doomsday as the third-part of the “The Reign of Doomsday” crossover.