This week emotions take over as Lex’s plan begins to take shape in Justice League #2 written by Scott Snyder with art by Jorge Jimenez.
This review will contain spoilers, tread carefully.
Now we’re talking! I’ve been waiting for a Justice League comic book that’s got action, adventure, excitement, and a little sly humor for a long time. Sure, we had No Justice , but the story was a bit convoluted and over the top at points just to drive home the epic nature of the story. This story genuinely feels like it has a purpose and is going somewhere amazing and dare I say “ultra.” Let’s totally jump into this issue!
The issue opens with Lex speaking at the Kansas American Legion in which he decides to randomly blow it up! However, while everyone races to leave before it’s too late, Lex sees a door appear out of nowhere and looks intrigued by it. Next, we fast forward to the present where we see John Stewart on a secret mission in space for the Guardians. The League couldn’t get in contact with John and were able to use Swamp Thing to tap into the green from across the galaxy to contact him.
The reason Swamp Thing was attempting to contact John was that the Totality landed on Earth last issue and Batman insinuated that he knows something about what’s happening with it. However, while Batman is calling John, it turns out the League is fighting Killer Croc who’s been transformed by the energy coming from the Totality!
We move to the Legion of Doom in their new underwater base that “defies the laws of physics.” It turns out, Luthor has been obsessed with the Totality and unlocking the seven hidden forces of the universe that will control it and implies the big 7 League members are connected to these forces in some way. Luthor then shows Grodd a baby that appears to be connected to the 1st force and tells the rest of the Legion that he sent Sinestro to uncover the second force, which we later find out is a new emotional spectrum color called Ultraviolet.
The issue begins to wrap up when Clark and J’onn decide to enter into the Totality because their body chemistry will be able to withstand the alterations better than any other member. While Clark and J’onn enter, Batman and Hawkgirl shrink down and pilot ships into their bloodstream like antibodies to attack the biological changes before they manifest. However, it turns out Luthor also secretly hitched a ride inside Clark’s body, AND Sinestro turned John into the Corps Leader of the Ultraviolet Lanterns.
As you can see, this issue was packed with so much action, information, and speculation as to what direction these next issues will go, it was hard to skip over anything. But the speculation in this issue was the best part. Snyder is making Luthor the true mastermind he once was while doing his best to make each League member have a meaningful contribution to the big picture of what’s to come.
The parts that jump out at me the most in this issue were the creative way Snyder incorporate Swamp Thing, the reintroduction of the Flash villain Turtle, the idea of a “Still” Force opposing the Speed Force, Lex’s maniacal planning, and a formation of a new Lantern Corp.
A Justice League issue needs to feel important, exciting, and meaningful. It’s supposed to be the book all readers look forward to each week. It’s the title that’s meant to be on everyone’s pull list. It should be DC’s flagship boo. To be honest, it hasn’t been that way for years now. However, Justice League is finally starting to turn around. Snyder laid out new questions and answered old ones. He held our hand through the parts that we needed answers to now, and I feel he finally understands what it takes to write a team book after Dark Metal and No Justice. Now is the time to hop back onboard Justice League and finally add this bad boy back to your pull list. Maybe not long term yet but definitely in the short term.
What did think of Justice League #2? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @dispatchdcu.
