Mild Mannered Reviews – Justice League #2
Justice League #2
Scheduled to arrive in stores: August 3, 2016
Cover date: October 2016
“The Extinction Machines” – Part 2
Writer: Bryan Hitch
Penciller: Tony S. Daniel
Inker: Sandu Florea
Cover: Tony S. Daniel & Tomeu Morey
Variant Cover: Yannick Paquette & Nathan Fairbairn
Reviewed by: T.A. Ewart (aka liheibao)
The Justice League is about saving as many people as possible, while the world is beset with rolling catastrophes, however, the find themselves attacked by the very people they save, as the Kindred possesses them. The League reforms and learns the cause of the tremors is coming from the Earth’s core. Simultaneously, the world is attacked anew by the Reapers. The League goes to deal with all that plagues the world, while the Batman goes to enlist Superman’s aid on an “impossible” mission to the centre of the Earth.
Story – 4: Three for three. The latest incarnation of the Justice League merges the early Silver Age status quo with a healthy portion of Grant Morrison’s modern JLA run. The original days of the League sported a team that was absent Superman, and for good reason, for when Superman did show up, he usually slapped the problem away in seconds… much to the consternation of loyal readers at that time. Morrison’s run reserved the big, astounding, impossible tasks for Superman, though usually after he was sidelined somehow to give the other players a fair go. Hitch applies that same ethic with his run, giving readers a fine display of Flash doing what he’s aptly named for.
Batman’s reluctance of involving Superman is both welcomed and exasperating. On one hand, why should the Batman work with someone he doesn’t trust implicitly? The fact that Batman has a distrustful or adversarial nature with Superman undermines the two working together in any fashion, and it’s good to see that fact acknowledged however slightly. However, as Batman has worked with Superman, albeit another one, and the world is going to hell in a handbasket, his resistance is bordering on stupidity at this point. When lives are on the line, you do what’s best for the people, misgivings and egos are left at the door. Still, seeing Superman being given a task that only he can accomplish, or hope to even try is good form, and very much welcomed. Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch, at one point, we’re positioning themselves to do a run on Superman that never materialized. Readers who got wind of it were very intrigued, but it didn’t happen. However, Hitch’s regard for Superman remains, and it has left me eager to see how he’ll handle Superman here, even after his use of New 52 Superman on Justice League of America.
Art – 3: What has happened to Tony Daniel? His linework here is just pedestrian and lackluster.
Wonder Woman looks like an emaciated super-model, in a cosplayer’s outfit, and one of quite limited skill. There is no robustness to Daniel’s renderings. He seems tired and unconcerned with quality, which is the converse for DC’s usual formula of pretty pictures disguising atrocious stories.
Cover Art – 3: It’s been the same cover design for the last three months. It’s as if mediocrity is mandated.
Variant Cover Art – 2: I usually don’t review the variant covers, but this one was bad enough that it warranted a say. Wonder Woman looks reminiscent of the ancient urn art, where women looked like beardless men. She’s closer to Achilles in this image than Diana of Themyscira. It’s obvious what Paquette was going, but it’s such a miss.
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While I realize juggling power levels for team books is a potentially tricky task I’ve never liked the idea of writing Superman out of the action for the sake of making the others look good not because I don’t want them to look good but I don’t want it to be at Superman’s expense nor do I want to not see him with the team when he’s supposed to be a member. Yes he has a big power set but he’s also still only one person. Plus I would just like to see him getting as much camera time as… Read more »
No argument there. If Supermanis going to be in the book, he should be used effectively. Otherwise, I’m fine with him being out of it. Batman needs to get over himself and worry about getting Gotham up to speed.
Did Mark Millar ever reveal any of the plot details for his unmade Superman project with Hitch?
He did in an interview that was conducted some time ago. While I found it intriguing overall, there were some ideas that made me SMH.
The guy that brought us Ultimates getting his hands on Superman? No thanks.
I said the same before I read his work on Superman Adventures, Red Son, and most recently, Huck. Like Tom Taylor, Millar can write a really stomach turning version of a character, but he definitely knows how to write Superman when he gets the chance.
Normally I’d agree on Batman distrusting Superman, but in this one instance it does make sense from a story aspect. So it would make sense that Batman is put into a situation where he *has* to trust Superman and has to work with him, which will build their trust and confidence.
That said, I hope this story does a good job in putting that aspect to bed so that that plotline can go away.. for a loooooong time. 🙂
If BvS cannot put the nail in the coffin, nothing will.
LOL, yeah, pretty much.
Although, it may have done so, just not directly. After BvS, we had Rebirth, and Geoff Johns becoming the DC/WB “frontman” and doing a LOT to talk about positivity in DC comics and cinematic universe.
So this might be, and hopefully is, the last gasp of that now meme-worthy idea as it dies.
“That said, I hope this story does a good job in putting that aspect to bed so that that plotline can go away.. for a loooooong time. :)”
Forever is okay with me.