The fourth issue of
JUSTICE LEAGUE has some fun moments featuring Batman, but if the cover wasn’t your biggest clue, the real star of the show here is the Sea King himself, Aquaman.
I can hear some of your chuckles from here.
Well, I’d hold the laughter if I were you, because the events of this issue will definitely show you the value of Aquaman to the team at large. Similarly to what he did in the first issue of the new AQUAMAN ongoing spinning out of the New 52, Johns briefly references the negative stigma often associated with the character and gives him a scenario that should show people exactly why he’s cool. And cool he is. Aquaman shows leadership, strength, power, and vigor in this issue and Johns and Jim Lee exploit him here to great effect.
More importantly than that, though, this is the first issue where we see the team, basically, fully formed.
Cyborg is given a more complete foundation in this issue, which I really enjoyed. Johns is a noted fan of Victor Stone, so it’s fun to see his inclusion. I still find myself missing the Manhunter from Mars, though. We also get a great big splash page introducing us to the villain of the story, and in typical Batman fashion, The Dark Knight sees himself as the answer to the leadership woes the fledgling team faces. The only problem there is that he has to contend with the most willful human in the universe in addition to the heir to the throne of Atlantis. You can see where some conflict might arise, right?
This series still feels like the blockbuster smash of the new DCU, which isn’t a bad thing here. The characters are all pretty true to form, and all have interesting and unique parts to play in the overarching story. If there’s something missing, I think it can be laid at one problem that I can see: the assertiveness of The Man of Steel. As of yet, we’re not getting many vibes from Superman that scream leadership material for this collection of heroes, but I know we still have at least two issues to go. Batman’s my number one guy, but if a character is going to lead the Justice League, it has to be Superman.
The artwork continues to be reliably awesome, and most importantly, on time. Jim Lee pulls out all the stops when rendering a Great White Shark bursting through the ocean, and really gets in the aged and worn lines on the face of a certain galactic despot. The characters all look great under his pen, and Lee’s name is legendary when choreographing big-time action. Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair highlight the stellar pencil work and accentuate it with the professional flair that the entire team has become known for. The overall red tint to the entire issue evokes the danger and uncertainty worthy of a Justice League story, and the artwork all around gives it the big-budget look and feel worthy of the world’s greatest super heroes.
This issue was solid fun. A little more character focus wouldn’t hurt, but with the formula we’re receiving of telling each character’s story as they arrive, I’m pretty satisfied overall and just continue to look forward to the remainder of the all-new first adventure of The Justice League.
