Justice League 3000 spanned 15 issues and chronicled the team’s adventures and adjustment to life in the 31st century after being resurrected. Now a year has passed since the team’s rebirth so obviously the series had to revamp their no longer accurate title, which therefore spawned: Justice League 3001, but is it any good?
Justice League 3001 Vol. 1 (DC Comics)
The story takes place on several different planets including Camelot 9, where the Justice League is caught in between the forces of Arthurian Knights and the demonic army of Etrigran; Wodin Twelve, where Starro has enslaved all of the planets citizens and Takron Galtos, a planet populated solely of criminals (like a space version of Australia). Meanwhile, the Injustice League is assembling in the shadows and plans on taking on the newly resurrected heroes. So there’s A LOT going on and considering the volume includes JL 3000 #14-15, JL 3001 #1-6 and a sneak peek at the upcoming JL 3001 #1, you’re getting a lot of content.
It’s truly a unique series for multiple reasons, one of which is the structuring of the storyline. While we tend to see individual issues segment a complete storyline that makes up the volume’s story arc, Justice League 3001 has a very fluid plot and contains multiple smaller events within the arc. Because there is so much going on, some of which spans from the previous series, 3001 isn’t the most reader friendly. So, consequently, jumping on at this point (which is what I did) may prove somewhat difficult and require some prior research (that is depending on how much you want to fully comprehend). Personally I was able to fully enjoy it after just two issues of slight confusion.
It’s really hard to peg the genre of this series, but ultimately I have to label it as a FUN book. If you come in expecting a dark, dramatic series of events like John’s Justice League or Snyder’s Batman then you’re going to be disappointed. This series is a nice blend of humor (some issues laugh-out-loud worthy), expansive action sequences, and thrives on new team-ups and character appearances with alternate fresh looks. Giffen and DeMatteis do a nice job of throwing in a lot of character cameos whether they’re fully integrated within the storyline or just a passing reference.
Porter’s art is celebrated by many fans as he’s known for his other work in Batman Beyond Unlimited and DC Universe Online Legends and this was my first time reading one of his works. While the character’s faces sometimes come off a bit too “cartoonish” for some people’s taste, I absolutely loved his work. I was initially thrown off because the first issue featured in the volume is illustrated by guest artist Andy Kuhn which I didn’t particularly enjoy, but from the first page of issue two you can recognize the aesthetic difference.
Is It Good?
Justice League 3001 is an extremely entertaining book backed with a solid creative team. There’s a lot going on in every issue which makes for a consistently engaging and addictive read. It’s not the best jumping on point for new readers, but it’s certainly do-able. Giffen, DeMatteis, and Porter collaborate in creating a truly fresh take on our favorite heroes that any DC fan is sure to enjoy.
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