Speed Force race cars, new ancient artifacts, and a broken Bat all in this week’s JUSTICE LEAGUE #6 as Scott Snyder makes the plot even deeper and Jorge Jimenez’ spectacular art holds the issue together.
WRITTEN BY: Scott Snyder
ART BY: Jorge Jimenez
COLORS: Alejandro Sanchez
LETTERS: Tom Napolitano
WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
JUSTICE LEAGUE SPOILERS TOO!
To see what happened last issue, click on the writer’s name below.
Summary
Superman and Martian Manhunter, piloted by Lex Luthor and Joker, make their way to the center of the Totality. Just as Lex is ready to grab the universal power, Batman attaches to his ship and throws Lex out of it. The two battle for Luthor’s Doorknob but Luthor literally kicks Batman’s butt and teleports everyone outside of the Totality.
Meanwhile, John Stewart realizes that the Justice League needs to accept these ancient forces to stop the Legion of Doom. So, the Flash tries to become “one” with the Still Force, John opens up to the Ultraviolet Spectrum, and Martian Manhunter mentally links every human on Earth together. The issue ends with Hawkgirl fighting Luthor inside the Totality in hopes to gain control of the Doorknob.
The Art
By far, the best part of this issue was Jorge Jimenez’ art, Alejandro Sanchez’ colors, and Tom Napolitano’s lettering. Together, this creative team grabs the reader’s attention and immediately throws them into the story. From the opening page, Jimenez’ art was spectacular with a splash page of Joker that was so incredibly detailed and horrifyingly evil. Joker’s sadistic smile brightens up the page in such a way that sends shivers down the reader’s spines.
To add even more to the setting, Jimenez drew Martian Manhunter smiling and resembling the Joker perfectly. J’onn Jones genuinely looked as if he was being controlled by a maniac. Napolitano’s lettering added even more to the Joker by writing his speech as shaky, jagged, and eerie while Sanchez’ colors were dark, distressing, and violent. Jimenez, Sanchez, and Napolitano painted such a vivid picture of the Joker that it would give any reader nightmares for weeks. There is no doubt that Jimenez, Sanchez, and Napolitano are the backbone of this issue.
Joker Is The Star
Snyder writes an amazing Joker. During the Lex and Batman fight scene, Joker refers to Martian Manhunter as “old girl” as he pilots his body. Snyder makes Joker witty and comical while also continuing to keep him creepy and demented.
Also, Snyder and Jimenez worked well together to showcase Joker’s true villainous potential. The Joker uses Martian Manhunter to turn his fingertips into tentacles and enter Superman’s brain through Clark’s eyes battling Batman from inside of Superman. That’s just nuts!
The tentacle scene was intricate, detailed, and so much fun that it showed Snyder’s creativity and Jimenez’ knack for detail within the story. These two examples, along with Jimenez’ fantastic art, help show readers the real star of the issue, the Clown Princess of Comedy.
Total Confusion
After rereading JUSTICE LEAGUE #6 more than three times, I still left confused, puzzled, and with countless questions. To be fair, I was genuinely confused before reading JUSTICE LEAGUE #6, but I thought readers would gain more understanding and explanation throughout this comic.
Typically, a writer leaves questions to be answered in the first two or three issues and begins to reveal some of the plot threads by issue four and five. Since Snyder didn’t write the last issue, readers should have been able to decipher the plot threads and the basis behind the story by now. However, the reader is still left confused, questioning even more plot threads, and have no answers in sight with the first arc wrapping up soon.
Questions After Issue 6
1) What is the Totality? Is it creation itself? Shouldn’t readers know exactly what the Totality is by now and what it does?
2) Is Umbrax the avatar of the Ultraviolet Invisible Spectrum just like Parallax is the embodiment of fear for the Yellow Lanterns?
3) Why doesn’t Batman or Lex need something to breathe with while inside Superman’s body? I feel like there should be fluid surrounding them. Yet, Bruce and Lex move and fight with ease inside Superman’s body.
4) I liked that Batman brought Kryptonite into Superman’s body. However, that still doesn’t answer how Bruce escaped the mutated cells that were eating him and how Batman swam fast enough to catch up to Lex. How did Batman do all of that? Merely saying Bruce has Kryptonite isn’t enough.
5) Who is narrating this story? Is it Scott Snyder, Lex Luthor, or even Martian Manhunter? This is a big deal. Heck, am I the narrator?
Even More Questions
6) Batman got wrecked. His legs are broken and twisted backward. But how did Batman, who was inside Superman, who was inside the Totality, somehow emerge outside of Superman on the floor in the Hall of Justice with Superman and Martian Manhunter? Please don’t tell readers it was the dang Doorknob of Doom! And, after how mangled Batman was, will he need to go to the Sanctuary?
7) How are Lex and Hawkgirl still inside the Totality? Both were each inside different bodies that were inside the Totality. Plus, Superman and Martian Manhunter went in because their bodies wouldn’t be affected like everyone else inside the Totality. So, why can Lex and Hawkgirl now fight there unaffected?
8) Why does John Stewart need a race car that’s connected to the Speed Force? What’s John trying to do with the Ultraviolet Spectrum that’s required him to race a fast car around the world?
9) What is the Key to the Graveyard of Gods and the Tear of Extinction? Snyder, please don’t introduce new questions without answering any of the old ones first. Furthermore, why does Black Manta wish he went first to get his artifact? Snyder makes it a point to state Black Manta’s frustration twice in the issue.
10) And finally, the cover says “At the Mercy of Grodd.” Grodd was barely in the issue and had no connection to what’s happened in this issue. The cover also made it seem like Wonder Woman was going to fight Aquaman, which they were doing two issues ago. Covers aren’t required to resemble the story exactly, but this cover should have been on issue 4!
Should you buy this issue?
I honestly don’t know. This issue has three of the most dynamic and exciting artists right now in Jimenez, Sanchez, and Napolitano but the story fell flat. Snyder added even more questions to the ones that were already there. Readers get no answers to anything and will leave the issue even more lost than before they read it. I truly don’t know what happened this issue. If anyone else knows or can answer any of my questions above, please message me, comment, or find me on Twitter but I’m just not seeing the answers to these questions.
Should you add this to your pull list?
I really loved this series. Sure, issues 1-4 had questions that I wanted answers to, but part of the reason I rated them so high was that I assumed Snyder would finally give us answers in this issue. It looks like this will turn into another DARK NIGHTS: METAL. Everything will get wrapped up in one issue on the last page with something magical.
As disappointed and lost as I was with this issue, I would see this first arc through. However, if readers don’t get answers to any of these questions above or our heroes magically escape defeat at the last second, I’m out! Also, is this series in continuity with BATMAN or DETECTIVE COMICS? I only ask because, after Batman’s crippling defeat by Luthor, he’s done! There is no coming back from the horror show that Snyder put Bruce through.
What did you guys think of JUSTICE LEAGUE #6? Comment below or hit me up on Twitter @dispatchdcu. If you would like to read more of my reviews, click HERE!
