By: Geoff Johns (story), Zander Cannon (layouts), Gene Ha & Joe Prado (art), Andres Guinaldo (pencils), Rob Hunter (inks), Art Lyons & Hi-Fi (colors)
The Story: Despero makes it clear that he, too, disapproves of American fast food.
The Review: Nothing like a little new blood to bring some life to a title, huh? One of the problems with the core Justice League was that their dynamic had become so familiar and overdone that no matter what attempts Johns made to liven it up, it mostly felt mechanical and bland. With rookies the Atom, Firestorm, and Element Woman being so new to us, they add a degree of unpredictability this series has desperately needed from its cast.
Actually, our trio of newbies are fairly entertaining on their own, such that you wouldn’t mind more stories featuring just them as a group. It helps that in this issue they’re backed up against a wall in a satellite plunging uncontrollably to Earth. If you want to get the best out of superheroes, you’d best throw them into a situation they can barely handle, and that’s exactly what happens as the three Leaguers try to contain a rampaging Despero.
In the process, we get some fairly important insights into their characters, none more so than for Element Woman (aka Emily Sung). It’s a relief to see that despite some obvious eccentricities,* she’s actually quite competent during an emergency. While she may be as overwhelmed as her teammates against the likes of Despero, she doesn’t get in their way or cause any silly distractions for them, either—though she is prone to distraction (“Snow?! I miss Christmas!”).
Firestorm still doesn’t quite catch on in this issue, at least personality-wise.* This whole “talking to himself” routine gets old and annoying fast. It just doesn’t seem necessary for him to carry on his spats with Jason out loud, as it only makes him sound dumb: “Yeah, I heard her, Jason. ‘We’re Justice Leaguers—so let’s act like it.’ Thanks for the pep talk.” It’s much more successful when you get to hear Jason’s side of things, which Johns does inconsistently.
And then there’s the matter of the Atom—spoiler alert—our little double agent. Oh, she’s a member of the Justice League alright—just in more than one. For now, neither she nor her superiors have any ill intent toward the team. They, too, are concerned about the person who burgled the Watchtower and stole kryptonite from Batman, although that doesn’t make them any more sympathetic to the Atom’s anguish over concealing her true allegiance from the League.
We also get the surprise involvement of another Leaguer in this issue. Spoiler alert—Martian Manhunter has definitely gotten an upgrade in his attitude and reputation post-relaunch, and Johns continues to foster those developments. From what we learn, it’s clear that the Martian is operating according to his own agenda, one separate from both Leagues. To what end, and whether it aligns with Stormwatch’s goals, is a tantalizing sort of mystery.
Johns leaves us with some other compelling questions as well. Kudos to him for giving a slightly different take on the “Batman betrays the League” plotline, as we discover that it was Superman himself who gave his dark pal the idea in the first place. We’ve seen Bruce’s failsafes for his super-friends before, but we get a couple surprises on the execution this time around that (mostly) justify Johns reusing this undeniably old material.
Although Ivan Reis has been a superstar on this title, Ha is a giant in his own right, with a style that neatly fits into the mainstream world while delivering an overtly edgy tone. Instead of grand, cinematic sorts of scenes, Ha goes for tighter shots, laden with intensity, and accessible character expressions. Lyons’ lighting effects are what really give Ha’s work that Justice League feel, adding magic to transmuted snow and teleportation glimmers. Guinaldo’s art is more pedestrian by comparison, cartoonier at some moments rather than others.
On the Shazam front, Johns’ reimagining of Black Adam’s origin is quite dramatic, radically different from that of his Fawcett Comics incarnation or even his pre-relaunch incarnation, which was shaped by Johns himself. Although I’m sufficiently impressed by how committed Johns is to this darker version of Adam’s early life, I’m still not sure the implication of his unspeakable act really adds anything to the character. Ambivalent I may be about the story, I am definitely on board with Gary Frank’s art, which may go big with the characters’ emotions, but somehow sells it anyway. Brad Anderson’s colors give Frank’s old-school figures some modern slickness, completing the top-class quality of art on this back-up.
Conclusion: Could it be that Justice League is becoming the anchor title it holds itself out to be? The signs sure are pointing that way.
Grade: B+
– Minhquan Nguyen
Some Musings: * And honestly, they’re very pleasant ones. I, for one, would appreciate a teammate who picked up Big Belly for me before clocking in.
* His powers are guaranteed to entertain. Transmutation, like magic or Green Lantern constructs, just allow for a lot of fun, creative effects. Turning a steel bar into snow is just scratching the surface.
Grade
Conclusion