Justice League #37: A Fighting Chance

As we near the end of this arc, we finally see the heroes tap into the Totality using the corresponding powers that astute fans have been pointing out for a while now. There is power in numbers and the number 7 has long been a crucial number with regards to the Justice League. 7 original members. 7 pillars of justice that Grant Morrison was astute enough to return to form during his relaunch of JLA. 7 core members again with Geoff Johns’ New 52 origin for the League. And here, once again, a team of 7 unites to shift the tide in the war. Of note, for the first time that I can recall, Batman is not among the 7 nor any member of his extended family, and is instead replaced here by Hawkgirl. There are certainly implications to come from that move but given that Robert Venditti is on deck to take over the title after the culmination of this arc, the timing couldn’t be better (see Venditti’s run on Hawkman for more).

This issue in isolation is a fun one that sees everybody fighting everybody else in a certain throwback to the original Crisis on Infinite Earths. Odd pairings like Zatanna and Black Lightning hit the battlefield alongside the JSA and the Justice Legion. Jimenez does commendable work managing the ensemble cast and wide-sweeping action sequences. He’s no George Perez but he managed to hold his own regardless in a difficult situation.

The character arc involving The Brothers seems to be rounding the corner to the inevitable conclusion. These characters whom Snyder had join the League only to have the Anti-Monitor predictably betray them are simply too powerful to leave in play once this arc is over. There is something odd at work narratively here, though. All three characters feel nerfed at this point after months of building up their power and the implications of their existence. Perhaps this move is simply to shelve them for later stories but their dismissal from the story feels incomplete and of weak execution. It isn’t enough to derail the story but something certainly feels amiss here.