Faster than a DC Bullet: Project Crisis!, Part XXIII: Rann-Thanagar War

Comic trade paperback, n.pag.
Published 2005 (contents: 2005)
Acquired and read May 2014

Rann-Thanagar War

Writer: Dave Gibbons

Pencillers: Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Joe Bennett
Inkers: Marc Campos, Joe Prado, Oclair Albert, Jack Jadson
Colorists: John Kalisz, Richard & Tanya Horie
Letterer: Nick J. Napolitano

I like DC's space heroes a lot-- they combine two of my favorite genres into one, after all-- but I didn't like this. For some reason, whenever DC does a space hero story, they feel compelled to chuck in all the space heroes. Captain Comet, Adam Strange, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Hawkwoman, Starman, Tigorr, multiple Green Lanterns are all here, and I challenge you to get a grasp on any of their characters or personalities. The story in particular wants you to care about Adam Strange and family, but I don't; I'm not even interested in Captain Comet or Starman, and I've read and enjoyed other stories featuring them. These are just a bunch of people shouting exposition loudly at one another, fighting against a villain I don't really care about to protect a group of people that aren't interesting. This is the kind of stuff I should love: desperate battles against deadly villains. But the plotting feels arbitrary (there are, like, twelve last stands) and when major characters die, it doesn't even seem to matter. God, I wanted to like this so so much, and that makes its failure all the more disappointing.