Generation Lost #3

Watch out! We are OFFICIALLY 3/26ths of the way in to the Generation Lost storyline! Hard to believe, isn't it?

Ok, maybe not. Issue 3 doesn't sound like much of a milestone, but I did enjoy it. This issue was interesting, and overall a step up from #2. We learned a few key pieces of information as well, one of which I think is significant and I fear that the writers may forget about, and the other is clearly going to advance the story to the next step.

Chronologically speaking, this story picks up right after issue 2 and therefore happens AFTER the latest Booster Gold issue. However, with another one coming in less than two weeks, I wanted to get this done now.

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The Cover:

No complaints. I like it. Jamie Reyes with Ted Kord as a watermark. The new Blue Beetle taking over, finally, for the old - alongside Booster, where the Blue Beetle belongs. Finally, there is no Fire or Ice on the cover so I can't complain about how Fire's outfit is wrong, or how Ice looks pudgy. Or how Booster looks like Jim Carrey. This is the first cover of the three that I like, hands down, no issues.

The Story So Far:

I'm going to handle each arc separately rather than do it exactly the way it is done in the book.

Fire is off to Checkmate to determine what has happened to her status in this organization. She meets a lot of resistance along the way - namely, a squad of troops attempting to deny her access to the facility. The Black King comes out and explains that she has failed her psychological evaluation two times. She is befuddled - how can this have happened - when the answer peeks its head out of a doorway. Max Lord.

My first thought was that this was deceit much like what Captain Atom experienced last issue. My last thought is... well, just as uncertain. The man on fire at the end appears to be one of the shock troops rather than Max. However, even if this encounter was mentally charged, it still "happened." The conversation took place whether it was Max intruding on Fire's mind or it was truly Max standing in the middle of Checkmate.

So that brings us to our first key piece of information - Max may be hiding within Checkmate. That wouldn't be a terribly bad place to set up shop. Further, it makes sense considering the image at the end of the first issue - Max, with a drink, standing on what appears to be a castle. As you can see from this issue, Checkmate's HQ is a castle. So whether Fire's encounter was real or mental, Max is or was there.

The other portion of the story deals with Booster, Ice, and Captain Atom's rescue of the Blue Beetle from the OMACs. A lot of this is simply fighting. Jamie talks to his suit a lot, setting up the fact that the scarab is a form of artificial intelligence.

The OMACs are transported away, with the group going with them. Ice is reluctant for the second time in as many issues, and Booster again reminds her of their duty. Score another for the bloggers making the case that the JLI has reformed and Booster is the leader.

For reasons that I'm still completely unsure of, the gang ends up in Russia. There is no sign of the OMACs, so this probably wasn't the place that they were taken to. Why Russia? It's entirely too convenient a meeting place for the Rocket Red Brigade, which of course is what ends up happening. Still, I'm about as confused as Jamie Reyes here. How DID they "teleport all the way to nowhere with the cyborgs from hell and still manage to lose them...?" It really doesn't make sense.

The scarab then fills Jamie in on all things Max Lord. I LOVE the look on Booster's face on the bottom of this page while this is going on - head cocked, one eye closed, pursed lips - HILARIOUS depiction. Even though he knows that Jamie communicates this way, it still looks like he's talking to himself. Still, at least Jamie seems to have bought in - he's "along for the ride."

What or why something was hacking Jamie's suit is probably for another time. The more significant thing here is...

THIS PART IS SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH FOR ITS OWN TITLE:

Skeets' theory that the scarab remembers because it is a form of artificial intelligence. AMAZINGLY USEFUL piece of information, but one that I fear will be used inconsistently.

Can anyone think of another form of artificial intelligence that is in the DC Universe? A very significant one that we've dealt with quite a bit lately...?

THE GREEN LANTERN RINGS.

I quote the Book of Wikipedia: "Power rings also appear to be highly advanced computers; they are able to talk to and advise the wearer as to various courses of action, as well as act as a universal translator. The ring can also scan for energy signatures or particular objects."

The Green Lantern Corps trusts their rings; it is their tool for everything - all of their powers, their protections, their information. We see Lanterns communicating with their rings all the time. Surely the rings must remember. I hope that this plays in to the story at some point. It is too significant to be ignored, especially considering how much the Corps has played into the DC Universe of late.

Then, the Rocket Red brigade enters... I quote again from the Book of Wikipedia regarding the powers of a Rocket Red: "Their abilities included super strength, invulnerability, flight (through rocket packs/boots), the ability to project powerful energy blasts and "mecha-empathy" — the ability to sense and control computers and machines (though to what extent it's not clear)."

Clearly this computer stuff is going somewhere.

Questions Old and New
- Will Rocket Red join up? More than likely.
- Who hacked Jamie's armor? Why? How did it trigger Ted Kord's JLI signal?
- Who else can be convinced by artificial intelligences? I still say that a Green Lantern shouldn't be out of the question. Guy Gardner...?
- Jamie joined up as guessed earlier. It wasn't a tough one to decipher, but it was nice to see.
- WHAT is Max up to? I suppose if Maxwell Lord's continuity made more sense, this would be an easier question to answer.

In Conclusion...

Honestly, this review is long enough, and while I would normally do a "what was good/what was ehhh" segment, I can't. I really liked this issue; I found it solid from start to finish and don't have a lot to complain about. While I find Russia ridiculous, I'm willing to suspend the disbelief a little bit.