Justice League #9
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, Pete Pantazis, and Gabe Eltaeb
SHAZAM! art by Gary Frank and Brad Anderson
The short of it:
David Graves is a dieing man just a year after the Justice League debuted and he wrote his book about them, and he kills a man talking to him. Back to the present again! Steve Trevor is hounded by essentially-TMZ because of the combination of his being the liasion to the League, and his former relationship with Wonder Woman…let’s be fair, it’s essentially-TMZ, they want to talk about who’s hooking up with who. Batman gets a call about something going on in Arkham with The Key, and texts a lonely Clark Kent about it. Superman and Batman fight people in Arkham, joined by Cyborg, and it’s a fun time. Steve Trevor finds himself already essentially-TMZ, and doesn’t get to enjoy it before getting taken. Green Lantern, Flash, and Wonder Woman do the best interrogation ever…period, it’s awesome. Finally…Graves has something he wants from Steve Trevor, and he’s not afraid to get it.
Meanwhile, in SHAZAM! Billy Batson starts school and doesn’t like bullies. Freddy is a bit of a con man, and the rest are all each sort of one note. But Billy isn’t afraid to fight back to protect people, and his foster father gets some brownie points for stepping in to fight back for Billy. Sivana, on the other hand, on the other side of the world, gets struck with lightning to the face. He’s so happy…maybe it’s because he’s not quite so short anymore!
What I liked:
- I continue to like the growing character of Steve Trevor, and really, it’s all the little moments he’s been handed over the last few issues that I care at all about what happens to him. He’s been treated like he matters, and thus, he matters. It’s a miraculous thing.
- I loved all the brief flashback sequences, particularly the ones contrasting Flash and Green Lantern as they dealt with cops that are a tad too rough. Seeing Hal on the receiving end and Barry trying to stand up to other cops was pretty cool. Thank God that they didn’t try and make them into the same encounter.
- Good cop/bad cop/Wonder Woman.
- Bruce and Clark’s lunch plans.
- Jim Lee is back and man this book looks great.
What I didn’t like:
- Man, Lois kinda sucks. Inviting everyone but Clark. I really don’t like New 52 Lois.
- Weapons Master. Oh my God, what a horrible piece of…I don’t even know what. The name, the look, the name once again. He looks like he would be a great villain for a Green Lantern with a yellow weakness, and a bad joke for everyone else.
- Are the other foster kids in SHAZAM! going to be important? Because I really hope not, they’re annoying the crap out of me.
Final Thoughts:
So he goes from author about the Justice League to crazy cancer guy in one year? Kind of random, I mean, how well did that book sell that he had it out for less than a year? This guy gets a new layer every issue, it’s interesting.
My biggest issue with this book is that nothing really happens, but that’s not really fair. Plenty happens, there’s just not a clear path as to where it’s going. There’s a lot of big style things happening, but I can’t help but think stuff like an Iron Heights breakout, and stuff happening at Arkham are events that aren’t going to be played out larger, but will speak volumes about the nature of the villain that the League is up against.
Man, I love The Key, even if he is just rolled up crazy in the basement doing nothing but being crazy. Everytime I see him I remember that arc in Morrison’s JLA and I’m just instantly in a good mood. I don’t think I’ve read a single other halfway decent story with him in it, but that’s the only one I can remember. For some reason this sprung to mind, I really have no idea, but right now I’m just picturing Connor Hawke smashing him in the face with a Boxing Glove Arrow.
Man, I miss Connor Hawke.
Something about this book just feels off. I like the dialog, I love the art, there are moments of the book that I thought were just awesome, but it feels….wait, I got it. This book is just a bit more decompressed than I’ve grown accustomed to with Geoff Johns. Or maybe I’m just looking for something to whine about.
Really, this was just a fun issue. Not genre defining or mind blowing, but it was fun. I’ve flipped through it a few times so far, and I’ll surely flip through it a few more before weeks end.
Overall: 8/10
