Justice League #16
Robert Struble
Recap
Hawkgirl and John Stewart continue their struggle against Shayera Kol, Hawkman, and the Green Lanterns. Meanwhile, J’onn J’onzz learns more secrets than he ever dreamt possible, about the origin of the universe, the origin of the Guardians, and the dangers of Perpetua.
The Lanterns finally side with Stewart, ready to arrest Shayera, but she’s not willing to let go. Allowing the White Martian to die would erase all she has built on Thanagar. But there’s little she can do to stop it and with the Martian’s death, the castle, much of the guards, and even the Savage Hawkman fade to dust.
Just then, Starman arrives with Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman. Starman restores Hawkgirl’s soul, separating her from Shayera once and for all. The Justice League prepares to return to Earth where they will set about to fix the Source Wall.
Review
Okay… so let me get one thing that’s bugging me about this issue out of the way… the idea of Starman just being able to do what needs to be done makes him rather boring. Kendra missing a piece of herself? Starman can fix it. The Source Wall is broken? Starman knows what to do. Problems on Thanagar? No worries, Starman can get them there.
He seems to be an intentional dues ex machina.
I say intentional, because it feels like Snyder is setting him up to fail.
Which is why it’s only a minor critique. I don’t think it’s so much of a lack of creativity but maybe a way of showing just how dire things are.
The use of relatively minor characters is forcing me to use Google a heck of a lot when reading these issues, but it’s such a nice change of pace to give a spotlight to Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, and John Stewart (and even the aforementioned Starman…a forgotten B-list character if there ever was one). And they three are completely believable, thanks in large part to more amazing art from Segovia. As with the previous two, we get the division of labor between Cheung and Segovia, but all of the art is breathtaking to look at. Especially, Segovia’s facial expressions speak more volumes than Tynion’s words.
Ultimately, this book is proof that Snyder and Tynion knows what the hell they’re doing. Everything is starting to fall into place. The puzzle picture is coming into focus, the pieces are starting to reveal where we’re headed. Although the Drowned story didn’t serve much purpose in the grand scheme, every other story, including Dark Nights Metal, No Justice, and the return of the Legion of Doom is building to something and all connected. It’s hard to know just how much of this Snyder planned from the start, but Heaven help us if he ever uses his powers for evil.
Final Thoughts
Snyder and Tynion prove that this is the book to buy. This is one of the best titles on the market right now, but be prepared to read. This issue is especially wordy (which I absolutely love).
Justice League #16: Musings of a Martian
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 8/108/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10