Review: Justice League #37
“Chapter Two: Patient Zero”
Published by DC Comics
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Jason Fabok
Colored by Brad Anderson
The Plot
The virus continues to spread at an airport and kill humans. Meanwhile, Batman and Superman face off against Patient Zero who is continuing to evolve. The battle ends with him making his escape. Superman sees the virus in the air and it scares him. The rest of the League is still sick and Lex has a discussion with Lena about what’s going on. Superman and Batman find Patient Zero again and are joined in battle by Wonder Woman. While this is happening, Lex is ambushed by another attacker as he is with Captain Cold. Back with the battle, Superman takes measures into his own hand and things look like they might work out until Patient Zero fights back. Everything gets a lot more urgent as the issue ends.
The Breakdown
This was a pretty damn decent issue. The thing I really like about this arc is the premise. There’s a serious virus going around that the Justice League can’t punch or beat into submission. The situation has gotten so dire so quick and I liked Patient Zero’s reaction to Batman and Superman during the fight. I like how the virus has different consequences for everyone such as Neutron who’s in a pretty bad state. It seems like the metas can withstand infection longer than non-metas so far. Also, the rate of infection is really making this story seem much more urgent. The conversation between Lex and Lena was my favorite part of this issue. Lex always claims to have noble intentions, but she called him out pretty quickly. Even his reaction at the end of the conversation was enjoyable because it was so subtle, but still shows a different aspect of his character. The vulnerability with Lena is making Lex into an even more interesting and well-rounded character. I also like how Captain Cold talks to Lex as he doesn’t show any fear and isn’t apprehensive to push any buttons. This shouldn’t be a surprise though considering how Johns’ has handled the Rogues in the past. The discussion between Batman and Superman about Lex’s possible motives was interesting. Batman is more level-headed with Lex while Superman’s emotions seem to cloud his judgment and opinions. I liked how Batman’s suit was made to be able to withstand Superman’s heat vision. The crack made by Superman about Batman’s suit was good for a laugh. The subplot with the attempt on Lex continues in this issue and the cliffhanger with Batman creates even more urgency with resolving this crisis. The next issue is going to get ugly and I’m looking forward to reading it. I’m continuing to enjoy Fabok’s work as it really suits this title. There were maybe two panels that could’ve been tightened up, but overall I’m really digging his work on this title. Anderson did some really good work on this issue as well. There were a couple of panels where I briefly stopped reading to look at his work. Another very good issue this month.
BUT…
So it showed another human dropping dead from the virus. On another panel it showed the Justice League looking very ill in some sort of infirmary (they could have been infected at close to the same time). Power Ring (Jessica Cruz) is among them and this part kind of confused me. She’s still a human wearing the ring so she’s technically not a metahuman, which made me think that she would be suffering from effects like manifesting powers. However, since the ring is bonded with her it could be having an impact on that side effect. Even so, the ring is alien in nature so I thought that could’ve given her some sort of immunity like Superman. I could totally be overthinking it, but it did come to mind while I was reading this issue. The cover was also really misleading.
Buy It, Borrow It, Shelf Read It, or Ignore It?
Buy It. This was a very enjoyable read and I really like the direction that this arc is taking. This creative team is doing some solid work and continuing to make Justice League one of DC’s best titles. There’s a slowburn with some of the subplots and this makes for a stronger story in the long-term. The next issue will be at the top of my reading pile when it comes out. It’s good to see this title continuing to roll out as such a consistent pace.
