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The DCU is a whole new ballgame now that the source wall has been removed and all-new forces of good and evil are in the universe. This is an important aspect when it comes to a team like the Justice League, comprised of gods and those who are practically gods. The stakes haven’t been this high in ages and it appears Snyder is revealing there’s an arms race to discover limitless power as Lex Luthor gets a major focus in the second issue.
So what’s it about?
The official summary reads:
“THE TOTALITY” part two! The League faced an impossible decision…and now they must face the consequences! While Martian Manhunter and Batman attempt to recruit an old ally back into the fold, The Flash and Hawkgirl are blindsided by new challenges that could rewrite their mythologies!
Why does this matter?
This is not only an important book because of its team-based narrative, but also for the singular characters as well. Martian Manhunter is the leader and Snyder is approaching this with the utmost seriousness; Flash is losing his powers and that is explored, and Hawkgirl continues to be a character explored and developed.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Lex has reached new levels of loving to be bad.
Before things can get better they have to get worse. Or at least that’s what the narrative of this issue is telling us as it opens with Lex doing terrible things and loving every minute of it. Meanwhile, there’s a major threat that even Batman can’t fix requiring a conversation with John Stewart to join the Justice League. Adding to that are further developments of Lex’s master plan and a major hero becoming a huge threat. Basically, this issue marks a very bad day to be a DC superhero.
What is captured best by this issue is the wonderment of all things that transpire. From Batman communicating via the help of Swamp Thing in a casually weird way to the giant beast, the Justice League must stop to save lives the story feels big and impactful. The scenes with Lex as he details his plan to fellow villains also feels big and important. There are uncharted realms and stories yet to be explored and Snyder has made me a believer in this new direction. This is the kind of series action fans will love, but sci-fi fans will adore.
Jimenez continues to wow, from the tiniest reaction panel of John Stewart to an epic double page layout revealing a weird thing Superman and Martian Manhunter must enter. There’s a detailed glossiness to the book aided by Alejandro Sanchez’ colors that make what we’re reading feel otherworldly and special. The scene with Swamp Thing, for example, is almost disturbing helping to prove the Justice League Dark is a powerhouse all its own.
One of the hardest working heroes in the business.
It can’t be perfect can it?
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The only thing that irked me a bit was the “being inside” Superman jokes. For the record, characters shrink down, but the joke itself is a tad immature for my tastes (though it’s rather funny to see the glee on Lex’s face).
Is it good?
The Justice League haven’t had this much excitement going on with such huge stakes for quite some time. It’s a series that shows a new side of Scott Snyder’s writing that’s at once imaginative and impressive expertly pacing the story while delivering on an epic scale.
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