Content warning: while not mentioned in this review besides here at the top, this book deals with difficult topics like self-harm and suicide
Justice League: Dream Girls – A DC Pride Event #2 reveals half of the mystery that Dreamer and Galaxy found themselves in last month, and doubles down on it to heartbreaking results. Trapped in a sequence of dreams spurred on by, well, Dreamer, the two heroes find themselves moving through different corners of the DC Universe, taking on aspects of established characters all while dealing with their own confusion, doubt, and scars.
First things first: this book is absolutely gorgeous. Traveling through various eras of established DC continuity, the art team brings an appropriately different aesthetic to each story. From the hard traveling hero era to Justice League International, the weird west of Jonah Hex, and Justice League Dark, the two effortlessly dance through the halls of some of comics most beloved runs in beautiful style.
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Dreamer is so angry at herself all the time because of the pain she caused during Absolute Power and thinks she’ll never fit in. While reading this book it becomes pretty clear that this adventure through eras is her way of being the heroes she wishes she could be. All the while, Galaxy is there to pick her up, constantly fighting for her no matter what crazy-bananas situation they find themselves in.
They go through it in heavy, heavy ways. There are parts of this book I had to put down and walk away for a few moments because it was, frankly, too sad to handle all at once. I haven’t read a ton of books with these characters, but they immediately endeared themselves to me with the scope of how much they care about each other, and the world around them. I’m a sucker for compassion, sincerity, and hope in my comics and these two preach those qualities every time they speak.
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Working against them though, is the Key. We’re still not sure how he fits into this whole situation, but the way he’s manipulating them for personal gain feels fresh and original for a character who pops up every few years with more or less the same schtick. Like, I assume there’s a door, whether literal or metaphorical somewhere down the line but his cunningness popping up throughout the book makes him feel like a genuine threat in an interesting way so far.
Technically also working against them is the Justice League itself. A majority of them are still on the fence about whether or not they can trust Dreamer, and the few times the story cuts back to their perspective as Dreamer and Galaxy are trapped in a dreamscape feels like a time bomb counting down.
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In addition to the main story we’re also treated to a backup starring Jo Mullein of the Green Lantern Corps, which is rad, because I feel like she’s criminally absent in the Green Lantern Corps book (though absolutely crushing it over in Absolute Green Lantern). It’s a short but intimate story that promises bigger things to come and I personally can’t wait for them.
Justice League: Dream Girls – A DC Pride Event #2 is an entertaining book that features a deep story starring underutilized characters that speak to an underserved audience. I’m loving the weekly format of DC’s Pride offering this year and I hope they continue it going forward with their other social recognition initiatives. Despite not knowing them exceptionally well, I really cared about these characters and what they were going through. This was a powerful issue executed by an expansive creative team to a high degree and should absolutely be on your radar.
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