Justice League: Generation Lost
Volume 1, Issue 1
Cover Date: Early July 2010
Release Date: May 12, 2010
Cover Price: $2.99
Guide Price: $2.99
Estimated Issue Sales: 50,784
"Gone But Not Forgotten"
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SPOILER WARNING: The following page may contain story spoilers. Read at your own risk.
ARTISTS
Writers: Keith Giffen, Judd Winick
Penciller: Aaron Lopresti
Inker: Matt Ryan
Colorist: Hi-Fi Designs
Letterer: Sal Cipriano
Editor: Michael Siglain
Cover Artists: Tony Harris, Hi-Fi Designs, Kevin Maguire, J.D. Mettler
CHARACTERS & SETTINGS
heroes: Booster Gold, Captain Atom, Fire, Ice, Liberty Belle II, Power Girl, Superman, Wildcat I
villain: Maxwell Lord
supporting: Skeets II
Settings: 21st-century Moscow, Russia; 21st-century New York, NY, USA; 21st-century Rip Hunter's AZ Lab, DCU, USA
ISSUE SUMMARY
Cover Description: There are two covers to this issue: the standard cover by Tony Harris shows Maxwell Lord standing between Captain Atom and Fire, Booster Gold, and Ice. The 1:50 variant cover by Kevin Macguire does not include Maxwell Lord but does include Booster Gold.
Brief Synopsis: The world's manhunt for a resurrected Maxwell Lord comes to an unexpected conclusion.
Costume Worn: MARK I.v2 power-suit
Issue Notes: This issue ties-into the "Brightest Night" event. This issue has very few ads, making it a great value at 32 pages instead of the typical 22 for the standard $2.99 cover price.
This story has been reprinted in the following issue:
Justice League: Generation Lost Volume 1 (2011)
ISSUE ANNOTATIONS
Page 1, panel 4
Booster Gold is seen in a flashback, that while labeled the "Justice League of America," is really of the team line-up following Justice International #7. Pictured are, back row from left to right: Captain Atom, Rocket Red #7, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern; front row: Maxwell Lord, Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, Oberon, Mister Miracle, Black Canary. The Elongated Man's hand is visible in the image, but Elongated Man was not associated with the team at all until issue #24. Red Rocket #7, however, was killed in issue #9.
Page 2, panel 1
See Countdown to Infinite Crisis #1 for more details on the last days of the second Blue Beetle.
Page 2, panel 3
A mind-controlled Superman nearly killed Batman in The OMAC Project #4.
Page 2, panel 5
Wonder Woman killed Maxwell Lord in Wonder Woman, Volume 2, #219. He got better in the pages of Blackest Night #8.
Page 5, panel 1
Booster Gold is battling a squad of unnamed technology-based mercenaries at the site of the decommissioned Justice League International Moscow Embassy when he encounters Power Girl. The famed onion-domes of St. Basil's Cathedral are visible over rooftops. The view of the cathedral indicates that the battle is taking place just northwest of the cathedral, perhaps within the Kremlin itself. Other members of the JSA present include Liberty Belle and Wildcat.
Page 8, panel 1
While the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are indeed independent agencies, the National Security Agency (NSA) is a branch of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The CIA, FBI, and NSA all fall under the umbrella of the 17 member U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), headed by the Presidentially-appointed Director of National Intelligence (DNI). Though the DNI theoretically has the power to issue a "joint statement" on behalf of the entire IC in support of the Justice League, there is an enduring power struggle within the Intelligence Community which leads to the various branches often issuing statements via their representatives.
Page 13, panel 1
SCHOOL'S IN: Booster Gold and Skeets consult Rip Hunter's chalkboard in Hunter's Arizona Lab. The chalkboard, usually full of clues to activities throughout the DC Universe, is unusually dedicated to the present-day manhunt for Maxwell Lord. Why Booster Gold has not yet traveled forward in time to find Maxwell Lord is inexplicably not addressed.
Page 19, panel 2
Booster Gold travels to his second decommissioned Justice League International embassy in New York City. This embassy was Booster's home for several years. And though Booster credits Ted Kord with handling the security for the building, it was original Mister Miracle, a New God from the advanced world of New Genesis, who used his alien technology to construct the embassy defenses.
Page 20, panel 3
POWER DOWN: An Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) is a high-intensity burst of electromagnetic energy that has the potential to short out and disable unprotected electrical systems. EMPs are often associated as a secondary characteristic of a nuclear detonation (which Booster Gold has previously appeared to survive), but can be generated through non-nuclear methods. No doubt an EMP designed by either scientific genius Ted Kord or the advanced alien New Gods would be potentially damaging to an unprepared Booster Gold. It is difficult to accept that Booster Gold's original force field, designed by Brainiac 5 in the 30th century, would be disabled by a common EMP, so the machine that Booster encounters must be amazingly advanced in origin.
Page 22, panel 4
Booster Gold first met Maxwell Lord in Booster Gold #16 in Maxwell Lord's second published appearance as Lord recruited Booster into his newly formed Justice League.
Page 24, panel 2
Booster picks up a very old version of the Justice League communicator once issued to all Justice League members in the dark days before cell phones or pagers.
Page 26, panel 3
Booster Gold is joined by former teammates Captain Atom, Fire, and Ice.
Page 27, panel 1
Maxwell Lord's actions were previously seen in the pages of Brightest Day #0.
Page 31, panel 1
Overhearing the JLI communicator signal, Superman arrives at the JLI New York Embassy.
ISSUE REVIEW
Boosterrific Review: For me, Judd Winick's characterization of familiar DC heroes is something like artificial sweetener: it seems like regular sugar at first, but an unpalatable aftertaste soon sets in, proving that it wasn't quite the experience I was hoping for. I'm expecting too much from a book using the old Justice League masthead, but the characters don't quite gel just yet. Hopefully soon they can knock the rust off, because this is otherwise a very promising first issue with great covers and art and a story that teases the possibilities of events to come.
Boosterrific Rating: Worth Its Weight In Gold.
Average Fan Rating: (4 votes)
Aside from the crappy looking Booster on the cover, this was an excellent book in every other way.
I thought this was a solid set up issue. We have good character development for nearly all the main characters. Tora dealing with the fall out of Blackest Night and the return of Maxwell Lord. Captain Atom back to his heroic roots after Countdown and the best characterization of Max since he's been revealed as an evil mastermind. The scene between Booster in him gets to the center of what makes stories so engaging--the emotional impact. And as odd as it seems for a hero that regularly time travels this was the first time they got to be alone and directly address Teds' death. I was also impressed with how well Booster was written. He was determined and acted very intelligent. Reworking what happened and using his own knowledge to find an answer that all the other heroes overlooked. Even if it didn't turn out like he planned and it appears his actions are a major factor for what happens to them at the end.
Pacing was great; literally held my breath all throughout the book.
A solid first issue. Interesting idea but I don't know if it will be enough for 25 more issues. We'll see. I thought Max was done pretty well here.
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