"Syndicate Rules, Part Six: Divided"
Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artists: Ron Garney (p), Dan Green (i)
Publisher: DC Comics
Plot: As the powerhouse JLA members race off into space to deal with an approaching alien weapon that has the power to destroy the Earth many times over, a second group of JLA members do battle with the Crime Syndicate. As a third team travels to the Syndicate's Earth to look for a means of defeating the team, the team that is keeping the Crime Syndicate busy are taken down, and the issue ends with the powerhouse team finding themselves faced with two overwhelming threats.
Comments: On one hand, it's nice to see the rest of the DCU stepping up to the plate when the entire planet is endangered, as it promotes the illusion that the DCU is one big happy family. However, the simple fact of the matter is that the threats that the various teams are facing don't really convey a real sense of urgency. Although the scene where Captain Marvel was turned inside out by a tesseract bomb made me sit up and take notice, this really was the only moment during the space battle that actually conveyed the enormity of the threat. It's all well and good to have the characters going on forever about how powerful this alien weapon is, but with the notable exception of the Captain Marvel scene that's all these characters are allowed to do. The same holds true for the battle back on Earth as a second group of JLA members do battle with the Crime Syndicate. The only eye opening moment during this battle involves Red Tornado, and even this moment left me a little annoyed in that it was used to bring the battle to an abrupt halt so the Crime Syndicate could rush off to play their role in the cliff-hanger. Now the third team that travels to the Syndicate's Earth looks to be the most interesting mission, and it's made up of a number of characters that I'm delighted to see getting some panel time in the pages of this title. How can one not love the conversation between Green Arrow and the Black Canary? In the end though this issue offers up a big action scenario that is strangely devoid of any real sense of excitement. Frankly it feels more like Kurt Busiek is far more interested in the little details of his story and hasn't formed any real emotional attachment to the big show that he's offering up, which results in this issue's action having a detached quality to it.
If you've read any of my previous reviews it's pretty clear that I'm not a big booster of Ron Garney, but there are sections in this issue that I found to be extremely well done, such as the wonderful credit page shot of the massive alien vessel which perfectly captures the sheer scale of the threat that our heroes are facing. The art also does an amazing job on the panel where Captain Marvel falls victim to a devastating attack. How can one not let out an involuntary gasp when you first hit that panel? Now the action later in the issue isn't as impressive, as the battle with the Crime Syndicate lacks any real powerful shots, and even the big impact moment where the Red Tornado's inner elemental is unleashed lacked the proper sense of amazement. However, this issue was one of Ron Garney's strongest efforts, and if he keeps up work of this quality he may very well win me over as a fan.
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