JUSTICE LEAGUE #5 is a team-building lesson for the big guns of the DC Universe. When confronted with arguably the most powerful villain in DC’s library, the burgeoning League’s decentralized plan of attack ends up costing them dearly, with a Man of Steel swept up, away, and out of action. One team member gives another a reality check, and then it’s off to find Superman.
This reality check is the coolest part of the issue, because it involves the two most opposite personalities on the team coming to terms with each other, with who they are, and with their new comrades. Who needs the reality check? Why, Green Lantern of course. After an unfruitful attempt at taking on Darkseid one-on-one, his willpower won’t allow him to take a step back. Who’s giving the reality check?
Who else?
The eminent tactician, Batman talks to Green Lantern in a way that he hasn’t before: on equal ground. Lantern refuses to accept that he’s anything like Batman, to which The Dark Knight counters with a pretty plain, yet definitive statement about just how alike they really are, all culminating in a grand gesture he makes toward Lantern that will no doubt set the foundation of trust they will have in their careers going forward.
This is an interesting and direct way to flesh out the relationship between the characters who kicked this series off. Johns knows Hal Jordan intimately well, having written him for the majority of the last eight years. While Johns has written Batman in the past, either as a guest in GREEN LANTERN or in a big crossover event like INFINITE CRISIS, he also seems to understand the fundamentals of what makes Batman a brilliant cynic, but also an inspiring human being. I really enjoyed the exchange that Lantern and Bats shared in this issue, and look forward to seeing what the implications are in next month’s wrap-up to the first story.
The other characters aren’t given very much focus, though. Flash makes a couple of cool and fun contributions to the assessment of Darkseid’s power level, but Wonder Woman, Superman, and Aquaman get very little attention when compared to Batman or Green Lantern. Cyborg is further developed as far as the things he can do, but the characters take a back seat to Lantern and Batman here. I realize there are only so many pages in an issue, but I’d have liked to see more from at least Wonder Woman or Aquaman than we got here.
As far as the artwork is concerned, this issue is gorgeous (as usual). Lee’s Darkseid is a truly menacing and mysterious creature, and the choreography of action and scale shows the potential of the galactic despot’s power under Lee’s pencil. Scott Williams’ inks and Alex Sinclair’s colors due a lot to make each page pop with the vibrancy and dynamism befitting a comic book spectacle, and the depth of quality on the artwork side is beyond comparison. This is easily one of the top five best looking comics on the shelves right now.
Next month’s issue has a tall order of combining this loose coalition of heroes into the greatest super hero team ever created. I know that Batman will get his due, as he’s had probably the largest role in this series of all the other characters so far. Will Wonder Woman get more time to shine? Will Aquaman inspire more awe? Will Superman step up and become the leader we know he must? I hope so, but in the end, this is still a fun ride that shows us how the Justice League can come together for the 21st century. You could be reading much worse, and you can’t be taking in art much better than this. Let’s see next month if this version of the Justice League can reach the immortal status the last one did.
