"Syndicate Rules, Part Four: 36 Hours: The Calm Before"
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Pencils: Ron Garney
Inks: Dan Green
Colors: Sno Cone
Letters: Jaed K. Fletcher
Publisher: D.C. Comics
$2.25 U.S. / $3.50 CAN
Plot:
As the Crime Syndicate play dress up, and attempt to discover the secret of their universe's destruction/recreation by posing as their JLA counterparts, we see Owlman has quickly figured out that his team-mates simply aren't capable of pulling off this deception, and his efforts are largely behind the scenes. However, Power Ring and Johnny Quick are able to uncover an important clue, while Ultraman reverts to form as he kills hundreds of people to express his annoyance.
Comments:
Having the members of the Crime Syndicate voyage to the DCU and pose as the JLA sounds like a fantastic idea on paper but in actual practice it's a bit of a non-starter, as none of the members of the Crime Syndicate actually have the personality type to actually pull off the deception, and as this issue shows us posing as the JLA doesn't really gain them much of anything beyond the adoration of every Joe and Jane Public in the DCU (and free pie). Now the scene where Ultraman vents his frustration over his lack of success made for a powerful moment, and the battle that Power Ring and Johnny Quick have with the new Rainbow Raiders managed to have some fun with the idea that these two were out of their element wearing white hats. However, the sense that I was left with during this issue is that after bringing the idea to the table, Kurt Busiek quickly realized that there wasn't much he could do with it, so he spent most of his time selling the idea of how poor a job the Crime Syndicate were doing posing as the JLA, with the only real successful element of their deception coming from an ever so convenient encounter with a S.T.A.R. Lab scientist who is working on the very same cosmic force that destroyed and recreated their universe. Perhaps he already used up his grade A material during the similar feeling Thunderbolts, but I have to say I wasn't overly impressed by this chapter as Kurt Busiek didn't have nearly as much fun with the deception as one would've expected him to.
Ron Garney turns his his best looking effort on this issue, as while the level of detail isn't quite where I'd like it to be, I do have to say the art does manage to convey the story in a clear, and at time highly exciting manner. I mean there's some lovely work on the sequence where Power Ring and Jesse Quick battle the new Rainbow Raiders, and the raw power of the scene where Ultraman lashes out at the crowd owes most of its impact to the panel where he is shedding his Superman costume. There's also some nice work on the little moments, such as the panel where we see Ultraman is using his heat vision to vaporize passing birds, to the amusing expression on Johnny Quick's face when he discovers the people expect him to rush off and save the day. I do have to ask why Power Ring has hair on the cover, while inside he makes no effort to match John Stewart's look, given Ron Garney was responsible for both.
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