JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #13

Can two houses actually do battle? With jingle, with donor, with rattle? Or am I just talking nonsense? Like the rapper known as fifty cents. Who wants to settle down in Seattle. Yeah. Honestly. Not that far from the mystical creative team of Writer: Jeff Lemire; Artist: Mike Janin; and Publisher: DC Comics in November 2012.

So what’s the STORY morning glory?

For crying out loud! Why couldn't things run as smoothly for Deadman and Zatanna, as they have been for John Constantine and Black Orchid in this second part of 'War For The Books of Magic'? Well, John and BO have no problem what so ever overpowering Black Boris and returning back to the House of Mystery. Whilst Boston and Zee do manage to get the better of Blackbriar's Thorn... but... err... how can I put this?

Firstly, Nick Necro suddenly shows up with the House of Secrets and Doctor Mist by his side.
Secondly, Nick whisks Zee away with him, even though John and purple-pants do pop up and attempt to stop him.
And thirdly, John, Deadman, and Orchid chase after them in their mystical abode as quickly as the possible.
Well, this situation could be a lot worse I suppose. Felix Faust could be in the process of kidnapping Timothy Hunter not so long after Madame Xanadu tries to recruit him.

Ooops! To be continued...

What is the most memorable SENTENCE OR CONVERSATION spoken in this issue?

Would it be childish of me to say that I liked all of the curse words thrown around in this issue? You know, like 'Wanker' and 'Damn Englishmen' for example. What's that? Yes, it would be childish of me! Alright then, I just have to settle for Doctor Mist's brief monologue instead. As I did like the way it sounded in prose.

'I'm tiered of being ordered around by fools like Necro and Trevor. Tiered of being caught up in schemes of petty little men. But mostly I'm tiered of being alone. So I think of my wife. I think of Mosa, and the rest is easy'.

Nice, isn't it? Nice and personal.

What was the BEST thing about this issue?

Hand's down. The best thing about this book is also the most creative thing about it too. But wait up! Should I tell you about this now? Or should I tell you about it in the desired section?

Ops! I've made a mistake, haven't I? And that's another thing I like about this book -- the mistakes.

Personally speaking, I liked the way that certain scenes looked a bit hooey as a concept, only to be pulled off with great cinematic style and grace.

For example, when Felix showed up to kidnap Tim, it didn't come across as too blaze or cheesy by default. Rather, it felt like a very integral part of the tale that added a layer of suspense to the overall narrative.

Perfect. Unlike me.

What was the WORST thing about this issue?

As much as I do like Jeff Lemire as a writer -- and am coming to terms with his great new stance on this title -- I still find his exposition a touch too heavy in execution, because it does slow down the pace of the plot from time to time.

Apart for that though -- nah -- I can't grumble about this book at all.

What was the most CREATIVE thing about this issue?

STORY: With hand on my heart, I must confess, I've never seen a chase scene between two houses in a parallel dimension before. Well, have you? Huh? Yes you have? Oh! I'm not talking about that time you were on drugs, I mean in real life?

A-ha! Now that's better. Say no more.

ART: If possible, there is something funny about Mike Janin's art I'd like him to explain to me. In the opening credits it states that both he and Victor Drujiniu shared the art duties on this issue -- with Mike on the layouts, and Victor on the finish. When you can -- Mike -- my twitter pal -- could you explain what's what please?

If you can leave a message below I would be sincerely grateful. I just want to know what Vic's contribution was -- as the pencils seem like the usual high standard of yours.

If you had to CAST TWO CHARACTERS in this comic book, who would they be and why?

DEADMAN: Now utilizing the pre-existing theme of mobile edifices, in this instalment of casting call I feel compelled to compare this dead acrobat with something like a mobile mortuary refrigerator. Not only dead -- but active by default.

JOHN: As for Co-Co Constantine on the other hand -- no problem -- he'd have to be a late night burger van of no fixed ability, right?

If this issue had a MOVIE TAG LINE, what would it be?

Is Your House Fully Equipped For A Journey Into The Unknown? Hope So. Or Otherwise A Secret May Escape A Mystery.

If this issue were a MOVIE, an OBJECT, or a piece of MUSIC, what would that be and why?

Alright, so this tale is mysterious, strange, dynamic, and rather satirical too. So why not compare it to the Genesis' 1986 classic 'Land Of Confusion'?

Please listen to the lyrics of this song, because my comparison does make sense on more than one level.

FINAL thoughts...

All in all I'm really enjoying the direction this series is heading under Jeff Lemire's helm. But, I would still like to see more personality and a steadier pace if possible, because this would be the proverbial icing upon the cake, making this title a much read I'm sure.

Come on Jeff and Mike. I have faith in you both. Each month this is one of the books I look forward to reading the most. It's new. It's dynamic. It's fresh. And it has an intriguing supernatural flavor that I can't get enough of.

Oh! By the way, before I forget, Black Orchid is connected to both the red and the green? Wow! I hope she stays on this book for some time to come, as that revelation defiantly needs some more explanation.

MARKS out of 10? 8.8

UPDATE: A Word From Mikel Janin

Hi Jay,

Here are some pages at the layout stage and the finish stage, so you can see how Victor and I did the work. You can compare with my usual finished pages, which are displayed in my Deviant Art gallery: http://mikeljanin.deviantart.com/gallery/

Feel free to post them in your blog, if you want to. I think they explain better than my words how we did it. :)

Thanks a lot for your support and nice reviews!

Best regards,

Mikel