The current Justice League title has been a rather interesting, almost 'over the top' book where every issue so far has been a world/universe/multiverse crisis in the making. Writer Scott Snyder and sometime co-writer James Tynion IV have really been keeping the gas pedal pressed to the floor with cosmic threats from beyond, artifacts of incredible power, and mind-blowing concepts about the origins of the DCU.
It has been somewhat hard to follow at times. A lot of the ideas are presented with a sort of 'roll with it' laissez-faire attitude. You either let the plots wash over you and buy into it or you get irritated at the lack of cohesive sense and story-telling.
For me, and I might say for once, I am in the former category, not the latter. I don't think I could elegantly tell you who Perpetua is, why a doorknob in a Legionnaire's hall is the most powerful known item in the DCU, what weapons the Legion of Doom has, or what is happening.
All I know is the heroes seem nervous that they might not win this time. And that alone has me invested in the ride.
One page in this week's Justice League #30 stood out though, for a couple of reasons.
With the universe and perhaps the multiverse in jeopardy, the League gathers all the super-heroes they can find and deputize them.
That's right. Everyone is now officially a member of the Justice League. Because when it hits the fan, the heroes will need every strong right arm they can get.
I love these sorts of pages. I love when Superman is looked on as this inspirational leader, able to muster up an army with his words alone. Snyder has really let Superman shine in this book and that makes me happy. That alone might make me showcase this page.
But there were a couple of details worth highlighting.
No surprise, he does.
I also love that she is front and center in the gathered group. It gives her an air of importance in the DCU. It shows her love and loyalty to Superman. And it shows she is ready to fight this threat.
I wouldn't mind Jimenez on the Supergirl series!
Now my main Leviathan Theory for Event Leviathan is that Leviathan himself is Ted Kord, surrounded by the Charlton heroes.
My guess is that DC would want Kord to be not seen anywhere were he to be Leviathan. You don't want to have your villain be acting the hero in another book out the same month. So does this brief, one panel shot of Kord derail my guess?
It is hard to know where in a timeline this Justice League book exists. While Luthor is prancing through all these Year of the Villain crossovers, it isn't like the mega-events of JL are discussed anywhere in the Superman titles. So does this exist just outside the main DC timeline? Earlier? In the future? Doesn't matter?
I still hold on to my theory.
But this did rattle me for a second.
I knew Ted would intrigue you but come on, you've been reading these things for decades - there simply isn't THAT much DC editorial coordination. Heck, they even have Jericho in both the good and evil gatherings (although he could be a double agent).
ReplyDeleteI actually thought everyone was considered a member since the very start of this series, with the Hall of Justice full to bursting with characters, and the main lot named as the core team.
That is a wonderful tableaux of heroes. Jorge Jiminez knocks it out of the park.
ReplyDeleteDC is on a roll now, drawing and coloring Supergirl correctly twice in a row :).
I like seeing the cape draped as cloak - that was prominent with the high-collared New 52 costume. Cloaks lend a regal air. Or even spiritual - like a monk in robes. It's dignified.
I do wonder why Batgirl is the only one facing to the side.
As for Justice League, I had given up on it after the first few issues - I landed on the "irritated" side of "too fantastical and high concept."
It lost me almost immediately in No Justice with the 4 mystical trees. Trees and then a doorknob.
And let's throw some slivers of Totality around to see if they stick anywhere. And invent 7 pseudo-spiritual good and evil forces that don't read like some set of things that would be fundamental to anything, any more than any other random collection of 7 things.
Nobody could tell you whether earth is part of the multiverse or was intended by Perpetua to be outside it (depends on the week).
But still, I started reading JL again a few months ago, as it seemed to be getting central to the future of the DC Universe, as the launchpad for the semi-autonomous yet somehow connected Year of the Villain/Doom stories.
In the end, is this truly going to be a transformative stealth "event," supplanting Doomsday Clock? Or will they connect?
Or is DC just spinning its wheels, throwing ideas at the wall while waiting out the Doomsday Clock delays?
It's possible DC hasn't decided yet.
T.N.
Of course Ted worried me!
ReplyDeleteSo when Superman and the JLA's collective backsides are against the wall only THEN to they allow Kara to join their club??
ReplyDeleteBloody typical as the English say...at least she has a de facto team affiliation at least until she becomes a cackling super zombie in November....
JF
Speaking of cackling zombies, Ted Kord has been identified as one of Batman Who Laughs' Secret Six. I don't see DC doing that and having him be Leviathan too.
ReplyDeleteDang. I thought it was Jaime that was a secret six beetle!
ReplyDeleteYes it is nice to see Supergirl "front and center" in a gathering of DC heroes. I wonder if it was Jiminez's idea to put her there, as he was the one who designed that costume. As for Kara being a League member, I'm down with that, as some might say.
ReplyDeleteHowever...Now that Supergirl's membership in the Justice League has been established, the big question is: Will she appear here fairly frequently, taking an active role, or will Kara end up watching most of the action from the bench, while the first-stringers have all the fun?
JL has been an odd book from the beginning. It's impossible to reconcile the events of this book with the DCU as a whole. The scale of things happening make it see like this is all the members have time to deal with. How could Superman possibly be dealing with this and with Leviathan at the "same time?"
ReplyDeleteAlso, where do you go with Luthor after this?