Justice League #5

Written by Geoff Johns

Art by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Sandra Hope, Mark Irwin, Joe Weems, Alex Sinclair, Gabe Eltaeb, and Tony Avina

The short of it:

It’s the League versus Darkseid! Well, kinda, but not really. Flash and Superman race Omega Effect beams, and Superman is taken prisoner! Green Lantern fights Darkseid in a one sided epic! Batman and Green Lantern have a heart to heart and Bruce Wayne is a crazy man! The rest of the League comes together with a plan in mind, but Batman winds up taking a journey to a far off place.

What I liked:

• Flash versus The Omega Effect. Awesome.
• Darkseid versus Green Lantern. Perfectly one sided. Hal keeps giving it his all, and Darkseid beats him senseless and walks away without uttering a single word. Hal’s never say die attitude is firmly established in a method that…well, it’s not smart, but it’s very Hal. Darkseid is put over as a villain so firmly above these heroes that want to stop him, and again, he doesn’t talk.
• This book feels as big as it should, Lee’s pencils are as epic as ever.
• The team is finally all in one place, even if we don’t get to see them as a full unit. The core five, minus the big two, actually looks like a REALLY good Justice League team. I would totally buy the book for that roster. I still can’t believe I’m marking for Wonder Woman and Aquaman.
• I love the way everyone plays off of each other. Sure, it may have taken a few months to get the roster assembled, but it was completely worth it. The back and forth banter is great.

What I didn’t like:

• Batman unmasking just felt odd. I mean, I get that it was to make for a big character moment between him and GL, but it sets a bad precedence. One where Bruce will unmask for anyone to give a speech before what could be the end of the world.
• So was Bruce Wayne not a super billionaire mega industrialist five years ago? When did he become Gotham’s favorite son, because honestly, I figured Wayne Enterprises was what set him up there, and figured it was established already if he’s got Bat gear.
• Army of inkers! The only reason Scott Williams gets his full name in this issue is on the cover, and in the credit for inking the cover. Other than that, the actual inker listing is just last names. I had to go do actual research to get the right names to give credit where it was due.
• Army of colorists! Well, alright, so it’s listed as Alex Sinclair with Gabe Eltaeb and Tony Avina, so are they his assistant colorists?
• This was a fun issue, but in repeated readings it feels not unlike the first issue. Nothing really happens, but hey, the team is together.

Final Thoughts:

This book leaves a lot to like about it, but the problems that emerge tend to be the same from issue to issue. Geoff Johns is one of my favorite writers, but I can’t in my right mind defend the way he paces things in some cases. This book goes from having everything working together nicely to moving as slow as his most recent time on Flash, and then back again. This issue was a trap for that, because while a lot of cool stuff happened, I left with the feeling that the issue was about four minutes of comic time. If that long.

I didn’t like the way Batman was treated in this issue, but I have a feeling that it’s really just the mask. With all the people who don’t seem to know who Batman is anymore I figured we would have some cool stories for how people found out, though that could easily be the fan of the JLA arc ‘Divided We Fall’ where minds were blown at the revelations that are Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent. I mean, yes, I know and understand that Hal and Barry obviously know who Bruce and Clark are come present day, I just didn’t think it would be on day one.

Darkseid not talking makes him that much more intimidating. If he had monologued….I’m not sure I would have enjoyed that. His silent beating of Hal is just perfect.

Given the way this issue ends I can’t believe this arc is only six issues. How do you handle that cliffhanger in one issue?

At the end of the day, flaws aside, this issue was ridiculously fun. It’s constantly going from start to finish, and really, that’s what I wanted out of this book. I wanted my to get my moneys worth, and I wanted it in the form of action, and thankfully that’s what I was given. I think this first arc is going to make an awesome trade.

Overall: 8/10

Tags: Batman, Darkseid, DC Comics, DC Comics Relaunch, Geoff Johns, Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Jim Lee, Justice League, new 52, Reviews, The Flash