"Syndicate Rules, Part One: Maintenance Day"
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artists: Ron Garney (p), Dan Green (i)
Publisher: D.C. Comics
Plot:
As the Martian Manhunter and Flash are given the job of maintaining the various elements in the Watchtower that need to be continually monitored, we see they stumble across a potential crisis as a cybernetic entity called the Construct looks to be on the verge of escaping the means that the JLA are using to confine him. However, working together the two are able to avert this potential problem, but we see there is another crisis looming on the horizon.
Comments:
Oddly enough I just read a story that involved the Construct, as I stumbled across the "Red Tornado" miniseries during one of my visits to the back issue bins, and spotting Kurt Busiek's name on the cover of that project made for the extra incentive for me to pick it up. Now I can't say I was overly impressed by the Construct's evil plans, but given it does rank as one of Kurt Busiek's first projects, it was nice to see him use this issue to give up a heads up on that miniseries lingering plot thread. Now I will say that I found this opening issue to be a little flat, but I suspect this was a deliberate move on his part, as I suspect he's trying to lull us into a sense of calm before pulling out the big guns that is the final page arrival of the Crime Syndicate of Amerika. This issue is essentially a look behind the curtain as we see J'Onn and the Flash are put in charge of a number of mundane, but fairly critical tasks that have to be performed around the Watchtower, and Kurt Busiek nicely captures the idea that the Flash is not a big fan of this part of the job. However, unlike the previous big name writers that have taken over the reigns of this title Kurt Busiek doesn't send the title blasting out of the gates, and I hope that readers are willing to stick around for however long it takes him to get the story in motion, as I firmly believe Kurt Busiek is going to be an ideal fit for the JLA, as he's one of the few writers who is able to make old school stories that the JLA work best within, feel fresh and engaging.
Ron Garney hasn't really impressed me with his recent work, and his efforts on this opening issue haven't left me with the sense that he's the best artist for this title, as JLA is a title that requires the artist to be able to deliver the large scale action, and his art simply doesn't strike me as being up to the task. Now I will concede that there's not much in the way of action in this issue, and he does a pretty solid job on what little there is, as the panel of the rampaging Construct made for a menacing visual. However, there is also some real cause for concern, as the scene where the JLA investigate the cosmic egg takes place in a featureless void, when the art had the opportunity to delivery some wildly imaginative background visuals. The same goes for the scene within the Construct's virtual prison, as it's a rather unimaginative environment.
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