Justice League #70
The Justice League hunts down clues to how took the Fortress of Solitude in Justice League #70, by writer Brian Michael Bendis, artist Phil Hester, inker Eric Gapstur, colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr., and letterer Josh Reed. In the backup, by writer Ram V, artist Sumit Kumar, inker Jose Marzan Jr., colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr., and letterer Rob Leigh, the JLD faces off against Merlin and Arion. The main story gets a little Bendis-y, but it's still enjoyable, but the backup delivers as usual.
The main story swings between a flashback where the Royal Flush Gang is approached by Mark Shaw. He sweet talks them into joining him, but they aren't buying. However, they do start planning a new heist, one that involves the Fortress of Solitude. In the present, the Justice League searches for clues to where the Fortress is. They find Superman's old giant key as the Royal Flush Gang moves through the Fortress, looking for something. Superman and Ace fight it out, but Ace doesn't stop when he's ordered. All of the portals open up at the Fortress as the system reboots. In the backup, as half the JLD tries to get through to Zatanna, the other half fights off Merlin and Arion. Fate is able to talk the two into ending the fight, but Merlin gives him something to think about before they escape. After the fight, the team gets things under control with the help of a returned ally.
This book has often escaped Bendis's worst excesses but this issue kind of falls back on them, hurting the main story. The Royal Flush Gang is a cool group of villains to use, but Bendis's characterization of them is bizarre. They're basically generic Bendis villains. The best way to describe them is that they're like the Hood's gang of supervillains. They pretty much talk exactly like them, and the segments describing their plans are the worst parts of this book.
Honestly, this comic would have been a lot better with more clue searching and character work than focusing on the Royal Flush Gang so much. It's obvious Bendis is trying to make them seem cooler than the group of thieves that get beat up, but they're so generic even in this issue that it just doesn't work. There are some interesting parts to his comic but focusing so much on the Royal Flush Gang is a mistake, especially characterized the way they are. In the backup, Ram V does an amazing job as usual. He does not have a lot of page space, yet he does a nice bit of character work with Zatanna and her feelings about being a team leader. The fact that he's able to do that in an ensemble backup and move its overarching plot forward is so impressive it's not funny.
Hester getting a chance on Justice League is so great. Even with how lackluster the Royal Flush Gang sections of the book are, he makes them look good. The fight between Ace and Superman is great, and the last page, with Batman freaking out about all of the Fortress's portals being open, really sells readers on coming back to see what comes next. Kumar's art is as good as usual in the backup, although when Marzan Jr. is inking, the reader can tell the difference. Still, the last page with the JLD standing together united is gorgeous.
Justice League #70 is good, but the main story is uneven. Overall, this is an interesting plot, but Bendis goes too far with Royal Flush Gang being generic criminals. Still, it does feel like it's all going somewhere interesting. The backup is amazing, but that's pretty expected at this. This is an overall excellent team book with a few problems.