Stephen Byrne (1)

The first half of the book annoyed me as the situation and world-building seemed to be executed in a clumsy manner. In a future world ruled by trusts, Joy Corrigan is the loyal retainer, bodyguard and enforcer who is targeted by a rival trust's technology to become a traitor and assassin to the master of her own trust, Kathryn Menteuse. Most of the book is a dialogue between Corrigan and an intruding voice in her head trying to convince her how evil Menteuse and her plans are. And of course there are many battles between Corrigan and members of the many different trusts who have stakes in this operation.

The plot is nothing special, but Corrigan grew on me as a character, being an older woman who is supremely competent at her job with an unconventional family situation about which she is most passionate. I'd certainly like to see what she does next.

The art is quite nice, but I'm getting tired of artists who pretend that the center gutter in books don't exist. I enjoy the occasional two-page spreads, but this is another book where many of the two-pagers seem unnecessary, consisting of many small panels that get lost in the center and serving only to confuse the reading order of the panels every so often.

Let's say this is 2.5 stars, rounded up for potential.… (meer)

DC Comics and Boom! Studios present Justice League/Power Rangers, written by Tom Taylor with art and colors by Stephen Byrne. After Lord Zedd attacks the Rangers' Command Center, Zack grabs Zedd and tries to teleport him away from Zordon, accidentally teleporting across dimensions leading to an encounter with the Justice League. The Rangers follow and must team-up with the JLA to combat Zedd, who has allied himself with Braniac. The basic premise is exactly as awesome as kids may have imagined in while playing with their various toys in 1993. Batman's brooding nature leads the Rangers to doubt that he's a hero while Billy and Cyborg pair off perfectly to tackle the problem from a scientific standpoint. Writer Tom Taylor strikes the right balance between action and humor, doing justice to the characters of both franchises, while Stephen Byrne's art successfully matches the aesthetic of Boom! Studios' ongoing Power Rangers series and the DC Universe line of comics that followed DC Rebirth. The only nit-pick I can find is that the Rangers are using the Mighty Morphin' Megazord rather than its replacement, the Thunder Megazord, that took its place following Lord Zedd's arrival. This slight continuity issue aside, the story is a treat for fans of both franchises and anyone who grew up in the 1990s.… (meer)