WARNING! SPOILERS AHOY! SHIVER ME TIMBERS, ME HEARTIES!


Title: Extinction, Part II: The Lesson
Release Date: March 2004
Writer: Dennis O'Neil
Penciller: Tan Eng Huat
Inker: Tan Eng Huat
JLA Members: Superman, Green Lantern (John Stewart), Wonder Woman, the Flash, the Atom, Plastic Man, and Batman.
Bad Guys: "Peppy."

So what happens?
Well, at the end of last issue, Peppy, the talking shapeshifting space monkey, had turned into a giant talking space monkey! But he calms down pretty quickly, shifts back to his semi-humanoid form, and explains that -- exact quote here -- "I lost control of my sneedleyfab."

Sneedleyfab?! SNEEDLEYFAB?!? Dammit, where's my stick!

To make a long story short, Peppy's people have a holy book called the Book of Lol, or the Book of Truth, which said that the now-extinct Silver-Masked Monkey should have evolved to become the dominant life form on Earth. Disturbed that this has not come to pass, Peppy requests that the JLA give him a tour of the planet, so he can try to figure out why the Book of Lol was incorrect and what else it may have gotten wrong. After some nervous discussion, they agree to do so.

Travelling in civilian garb with Flash, GL, and Wonder Woman, Peppy gets the grand tour of everything, including the worst slums, hellholes, and troublespots on the planet. After about two weeks, Peppy is preferring to neglect Earth's treasures, glories, and beautiful scenic wonders to focus on the ghettos, pollution, civil wars, and atrocities. He reveals his conclusions -- that Earth's horrors never would have come to pass if the Silver-Masked Monkeys had become the dominant species. He also thinks that the human race is driving itself into extinction. He also says, "It is my duty to assist you," though he doesn't specify whether he wants to help the JLA keep the peace or help make humans extinct. After the Justice League is distracted by a riot in the Middle East, they discover that Peppy's room has been ransacked and the alien has disappeared.

Uncool Moments!
Again, the writing is awful -- Denny O'Neil got mad props years ago for writing great, socially-relevant comics, but this story is just absolute garbage. The art is even worse. Mr. Huat must have some seriously incriminating photos of some bigwigs at DC to get an art gig this high-profile, 'cause his art just isn't up to snuff. And good god -- sneedleyfab? The Book of Lol? Did O'Neil channel his inner four-year-old to write that?

Cool Moments!
Ya know what's cool? Think this to yourself: "If DC will publish crap like this, maybe there's hope yet for my own homemade comic book..."

Final Grade: D

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