Amazo Virus Review: Justice League #36 By Geoff Johns And Jason Fabok

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Review: Justice League #36

“The Amazo Virus Chapter One: Quarantined”
Published by DC Comics
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Jason Fabok
Coloured by Brad Anderson

The Plot

The story begins 24 hours after the end of the last issue with Metropolis now under quarantine. A few guys are looking to steal some money and are interrupted by the World’s Finest. They want to help the men because they are sick, but the men attack with some powers that manifest from the virus. Superman is able to withstand their attack and Batman still tries to save them nonetheless. The other Leaguers are sick with the exception of Luthor and Wonder Woman. With their time for survival limited, Luthor reveals that he can save everyone that is infected. However, he needs to find Patient Zero and Steve Trevor has no choice but to trust in Luthor. Even though Metropolis has been quarantined, the virus is showing signs of spreading. Meanwhile Batman and Superman face a good news, bad news scenario. Good news is that they find Patient Zero and the bad news is that they find Patient Zero.

The Breakdown

Another solid issue of this consistent title. The Amazo Virus seems like a legitimate threat and its effects will make for an interesting arc. The creative team did an effective job at showing the threat level with the city being so barren and empty. The virus is airborne and there is a real sense of urgency with Batman and Superman as they desperately try to find a cure. The reasons why Superman and Wonder Woman not getting infected work for me and there is something else that I noticed. With Cyborg being amongst the ill, perhaps this answers the question of whether or not he is human. If he really just was a software and hardware that thought he was a human then he wouldn’t be sick. I’m curious to see how the advanced stages of the virus affect metahumans. I’m also interested to see what kind of blowback this entire situation is going to have on Luthor. This issue was good at setting up the mood and making everything seem so dire. I’m glad that this issue jumped forward 24 hours because it helped the pacing and just makes the story less decompressed. I’m looking forward to seeing who’s working against Luthor behind the scenes. The conclusion of the issue was decent because since Patient Zero has made an appearance, it’s easy to figure out that the rest of the struggle isn’t going to be very straightforward. Last issue I was a bit sad about the departure of Mahnke from the title, but damn did Fabok ever show up for this issue. Getting another quality talent on art makes for such an easy transition. I liked his stuff over on Detective Comics and the only reason I left that title at the time was the refusal to actually put the number 900 on what was technically the 900th issue of the title. That just annoyed the hell out of me for some reason. I’m also really digging Wonder Woman’s outfit in this issue and Fabok did a badass job with how he depicted her. Anderson’s colours suited Fabok’s art quite well and this has me looking forward to seeing more from this art team. Maybe with the nature of the virus, we could see J’onn show up in this arc. I’m not banking on it, but it would be nice to see. This title continues to show consistency.

BUT…

The issue wasn’t perfect, but there wasn’t anything that stood out as bad for me in it. I suppose I would like to start seeing a bit more Captain Cold though. The images of the League after Forever Evil made it seem like he was going to have more of a role, but it could be a slowburn and if so I’m fine with that. This isn’t directly related to the issue, but it annoys me that when I read the word “quarantine” I say it in my head as “quantrantine” (thanks Trailer Park Boys).

Buy It, Borrow It, Shelf Read It, or Ignore It?

Buy It. This continues to be a good read and I’m really liking the art team a lot. I like the nature of the story as it isn’t another typical bad guy threatens the League type of arc. The timing of this arc is coincidental, but strange nonetheless considering recent real life events. 36 issues in and this title is still feeling fresh. I’m glad that the Justice League title is receiving the attention that it deserves in terms of creative teams because it really shows in the quality of the work. Looking forward to issue 37.

I have been both an avid and casual comic reader over the years (depending on the quality of books). I have been reading Comics Nexus even prior to it becoming Comics Nexus and am glad to be a columnist. In addition, feel free to leave comments whether you agree or disagree because it always leads to discussions.