“If I wanted smoke blown up my butt, I’d be holding a cigarette and a four foot hose.”
The secret is out! Our heroes are magnets for controversy thanks to Lex Luthor leaking the amnesty program. Villains the League considered too unstable for the program take to the streets to claim their amnesty by force, and every government on earth has something to say about the hasty plan by Batman, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel. The theme of the day? Damage control!
Wait, what do you mean Lex Luthor is taking advantage of a chaotic situation to make himself look good? This has never happened before, not once! Batman would never have guessed this.
DC
Anyway, with JLU #19, we continue to deal with inconsistent quality from issue to issue. Dan Mora’s return to the series makes for a sweet deal with the visuals, and the characters are as charming as ever with the personalities Mark Waid gives them. Here we have an entertaining romp where Lex Luthor steps in and saves the day while pissing off the heroes he’s working with. The problem with said romp is that it’s not just a familiar trope in DC’s history, it has also been the basic plot of every issue of this arc so far.
Of course, this review is more concerned with judging just this issue, which is very strong. But the repetitive nature makes the story drag, and the discussions around the main scenario have added very little new insight after three issues of what amounts to Watchtower water cooler talk. What about the return of Brainiac Queen, you ask? Well, she doesn’t actually come back until the end despite being on the cover, adding absolutely nothing to the issue’s plot besides a cool entrance. Now, a somewhat misleading cover is a pretty common thing in comics, and doesn’t necessarily impact the book’s quality, but it’s not exactly a compliment when on the topic of pulling in readers.
There is a very brief sidebar to what Guy Gardner is doing, but it’s so brief, predictable, and meatheaded that it’s almost not even worth mentioning.
DC
With that out of the way, this is still a very fun issue in a vacuum. Lex’s manipulation of the press on both his and the League’s behalf is a sight to behold. Not to mention the opening conversation between Batman and Jim Gordon, which really grounds the stakes and perspectives in a way that feels authentic to the characters and to the wider world of DC. This book strives to be the superheroic hub of their entire comic line, and there are no doubts that it is just that.
As usual, Mora is a powerhouse in his field and this installment of JLU is no exception as he continues to deliver some excellent action sequences and some notable body horror thrown in the mix with Air Wave. The comic matches Mora’s usual standard of quality with strong character design—including giving Lex Luthor a glam makeover for some reason—and frequent attempts at experimentation with traditional multi-panel sequences. The day he does something to disappoint us will actually give us something new to say in one of these reviews.
Justice League Unlimited #19 prevails in delivering a fun heroes and villains team-up with a media controversy twist, but is held down by the repetitive pacing of the current arc and familiar and/or predictable plot beats. The return of Brainiac Queen definitely throws some fuel on the fire, but that will be another month to properly say for sure. There have been better, but if this is the worst the creative team can bring then I still say we’re sitting comfortably as fans.
You must be logged in to post a comment.