by Don MacPherson

JUST IMAGINE STAN LEE... SECRET FILES AND ORIGINS #1 Not Recommended (1/10) DC Comics "The Coming Crisis" Writers: Michael Uslan & Stan Lee Pencils: Dan Jurgens Inks: Bob Layton Colors: Tom McCraw & Digital Chameleon Letters: Bill Oakley Profile pages Writer: Michael Uslan Artists: various Editors: Mike Carlin, Ivan Cohen & Mike McAvennie Price: $4.95 US/$8.25 CAN DC's Secret Files books have varied in quality since they began. More recent editions, though, have grown in quality. That improvement isn't to be found in this volume, though. The main story boasts all of the weaknesses of the Just Imagine Stan Lee line and none of the strengths. Nothing new is offered up. This is redundant, both in and of itself and in the context of the Just Imagine series of books. The main story details a tabloid reporter's efforts to interview all five members of the Justice League, and since his assistant is secretly the South American heroine known as Wonder Woman, he actually manages to attain his goal. Over the course of his interviews, he discovers that the innate, nurturing power of the Earth seems to be bringing these heroes together to stave off a crisis that lay on the horizon. This is the third book -- the other two being Captain America and The Power Company Manhunter -- that I've seen in recent months that teams penciller Dan Jurgens and Bob Layton. I hope it's the last. Both are strong artists, but their collaborations have not yielded strong results. Backgrounds are lacking and perspective is distorted. There are two conflicting tones at play in the script, and it makes for an odd and distracting read. On the one hand, Uslan wisely tries to connect the appearances of five heroes in a short timeframe in the same setting by instilling a mystical tone in the script. But that mysterious atmosphere ends up in direct conflict with the more colloquial attitude of the majority of the characters. Neither tone comes off as believale as a result. Uslan and Lee recap the origins of their heroes in the main story, and the same is done in their profile pages as well. This is a move worthy of the Department of Redundancy Department. It's a fair assumption that the only readers that this book will appeal to are those die-hard fans who are following the Just Imagine series. The concepts that Lee and Usland have introduced so far are far from the most complex in the world, and this recap is unnecessary. Furthermore, this book spoils the events of coming chapters in the line, as profile pages are presented for five as-yet unseen characters -- Robin, Aquaman, Shazam, Catwoman and Sandman. Email Don MacPherson comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.