Grodd hatches a plan to nullify the powers of the Justice League and leave Star City wide open for plunder. Presumably, he would use his cut of the loot to fund future mad schemes.

The best thing about this story is that Gradet has the Flash first recognize that a simple malicious diversion will lead the heroes into a trap. Gradet gives the Flash a little more smarts than expected, and that's exactly how Timm and company portrayed the Scarlet Speedster on the cartoon series.

Gradet isn't a bad writer. Some of the ways the heroes overcome their powerless states are fairly inventive. He just needs to approach his subjects a little more subtly and think more things through.

The whole gist of the tale is that even without powers, a hero is a hero. I think that's a given. Gradet though really hammers the point and unwittingly lends hamminess to the "performance" of the heroes.

There are several flaws in Grodd's scheme that Gradet really doesn't address. Grodd knows that Batman is part of the Justice League. He also knows that Batman lacks super-powers. So why would he not predict that, once shutting off such heroes as Superman and the Flash, Batman would simply suss a way into his headquarters and pretty much do exactly what Booster Gold does in the comic?

I also cannot see how Grodd's device can act on all of the Justice League. It shouldn't for instance affect Mary Marvel. Her powers are magically based. Why does it snuff out Green Lantern's light? The Lantern ring is a device, not really a power. I would have preferred to see a few clues, however pseudoscientific, hinting at how the device works.

Art by Steve Cohn is frequently off model. His Flash--for some reason both creative forces favor the Flash--is dead-on, but his Superman is sometimes too thin, and his arms are way too long. J'onn J'onzz and John Stewart are adequately represented, but Cohn's Mary Marvel fluxuates from decent to horrible. The weird open-mouthed expression as she emotes for instance makes one cringe.



I think had the artist added teeth, the drawing would have improved immeasurably and looked more natural. Regardless, throughout the book, Mary consistently has the worst hair day of her life.

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