Justice League #2
Justice League Part 2
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams
DC Comics flagship title Justice League is back for issue # 2 and your Talking Comics staff is here to tell you what they all think. Every month Bobby, Brad, Brian and Steve will each give their thoughts on the mother of all team up books.
Bobby Shortle says:
If you go back and read my Justice League #1 review you will know that I was optimistic but unsatisfied about last month’s offering of this Geoff Johns/Jim Lee collaboration. I thought it felt incomplete and lacking in clear story structure. Well, that is certainly not an issue this month as Johns and Lee have created a fernetic and multi heroes action tale that starts to kick us into the next gear.
The full on Superman here is miles better than in George Perez’s mainline book and seems like a natural progression of the character being set up by Grant Morrison over on Action Comics. This is juxtaposed to Batman who actually seems to have his shit together and stands out as a voice of reason in all the durm and strang going on. The relationship between the two heroes is always interesting and this book is no exception.
The Man of Tomorrow and the Dark Knight are great but for me this book really hinges of the relationship between Green Lantern and the newly introduced Flash. Their dialogue crackles and pops like a Sorkin script and boy was it fun to see Jim Lee draw Flash outrunning The Man of Steel. My only real gripe is that it seems to be less concerned with character development than I would have liked. If Johns and co. can just strike a balance between the frenetic action of book two and the slowly paced character moments of book one I think we will be in for a treat.
VERDICT
Buy It- It’s still not perfect by any means but its headed in the right direction very quickly. Great action, writing, and art make this book a buy.
Brian Verderosa says…
I was massively impressed with Johns’ debut issue last month, and thought he did a great job relaunching DC’s flagship title. But the fireworks are over, we’re now into the regular job of telling a story month-to-month, and I’m confident we have the right creative team working on Justice League.
Issue #2 gives us a lot more as far as members of the League are concerned (it’s now four characters working off of each other instead of two), mainly The Flash and Superman. I love the dynamic that these people don’t know or trust each other, and that there’s a reverence and respect but also a fear of each others’ powers. We have a no-nonsense Superman, a quick-witted (what else?) Flash and a very enjoyable sharp-tongued Green Lantern. Batman is Batman — he’s scary, mysterious and dangerous.
While I am disappointed that the League in its entirety has not shown up yet, I know that Johns is taking us there methodically and I trust that it won’t be long. I should also note that Jim Lee’s art is exceptional, on par with his best work. There’s a particular splash page early on that had me picking my jaw up off of the floor. The ending is also quite insane — there is a LOT to look at, and a lot going on thematically.
VERDICT
Buy it – If you like watching these characters interact as if it were the first time, this book has your name all over it.
Steve Seigh says …
Wow. I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing Superman duke it out with just about anyone who was also on the side of good, so this issue was a real treat for me. Unlike Brian, I’m really enjoying the semi-slow progression of the assembly of the Justice League team members. Being a little unfamiliar with the personalities of The Green Lantern and The Flash this series is giving me plenty of time and insight into who they are and how they fit into the comic book universe. Some of the panels we have here are truly inspiring in the art department and the back and forth dialogue between our main players is not to be missed. I think this is a very smooth and very intriguing start for our heroes and I’m very excited to see where the story takes us next.
Again, being a bit of a noob allows me to become excited about things that others who have been following these characters might otherwise right up as typical events. Some might view this as a disadvantage, but I believe it to be a blessing. Taking in these characters with a fresh perspective allows me to see the potential in these stories and heroes and makes each issue a new adventure in an even broader sense.
VERDICT
Buy it – There are some major events taking place within this story arc that I am sure will leak out into other books and you don’t want to get lost. Plus, seeing how all the different personalities compliment or clash with one another is a real treat for any comic enthusiast.
Brad Jones says…
What I was most intrigued by with Justice League #2 is some of the personality changes from what we might be typically used to in these characters. Green Lantern, while usually full of quips, seems to be channeling The Flash in snarkiness and swagger. The Flash, on the other hand, feels a bit more like Hank Pym (Ant/Giant-Man in The Avengers) – a bit more reserved, slightly nervous, and all heart. Superman is non-nonsense in this iteration of the character, a slight departure from what we’ve seen in Action Comics who delivers every line with an up-turned smirk. Batman seems to be the one most familiar, which I think works both in offering a sense of security with these new characters and also allows us (the reader) to be taken to new places by a loving friend (or as “loving” as you can say Batman is).
The art is still excellent, with the action beats in particular seemingly popping off the page (or screen, in my case). The Batman-Green Lantern vs. Superman fight was pretty fierce, especially considering I’m used to reading books where Batman is somehow able to outsmart the Man of Steel. The fight becomes downright kinetic when the Flash joins the fray and highlighted just how well this book handles the collision of all of these marquis DC characters, both in artistic direction and writing. Next month’s Wonder Woman tease is exciting, especially if her introduction is handled better in Issue #3 than it was in the first issue of her own book (it wasn’t my favorite).
VERDICT
A clear buy, this book has great continuity, style and action. The Superman fight was an awesome centerpiece for this issue and I’m stoked for what’s coming next.
