Justice League #7
Robert Struble
Recap
Hawkgirl, her wings now glowing near the Totality, battles Luthor (and his magic doorknob) to keep him from entering the glowing portal. The rest of the League faces struggles as well, Stewart racing around in the Flash-mobile, Manhunter (with Cyborg’s assistance) is joining every mind on Earth, Flash slowing down to access the Still force so that he can start the universe expanding again. Even the entire planet, now one giant White Lantern, is fighting against Umbrax, the power source for the Ultraviolet Lanterns.
Even as the Legion of Doom closes in, the League starts to prevail. Kendra beats back Luthor and Flash closes the window (or “cosmic membrane”). Luthor calls for a retreat as the Totality is contained inside a small glowing ball by Kendra who returns it to the League. Once there, the League recuperates and J’onn decides he must return to Thanagar Prime along with Stewart and Hawkgirl.
Suddenly, though, a boom tube opens up a portal in the middle of the hall and a strange figure appears Starman. And he’s bringing dire warnings (really, are there any other kinds of warnings)…
Back at the Legion of Doom’s base, Luthor stews in anger, but mostly anger at himself for underestimating the League. But he’s not done yet…he has one man he can ask for help. If he can just get him to stop laughing.
Review
So we finally wrap up Snyder’s first arc on the new Justice League. It was an epic story coming on the heels of two other epic stories (Dark Nights Metal and No Justice) and I’ll admit to being worried that this would burn me out. After all, how often can the universe be threatened with extinction before you finally get tired of it?
But…here’s the thing…isn’t that mostly what the Justice League is all about? Marvel has always portrayed men trying to be gods, but DC has been described as gods trying to be men, and that’s really what happens. You have larger than life characters, impossibly high stakes, stories that rival ancient mythology and through it all, you get a very human struggle as J’onn, Flash, and John Stewart all attempt to go against the grain, against what’s expected of them, and be someone better (or maybe just different) than they were.
The art is fantastic and the colors are exciting (especially Kendra’s wings). The dialogue is often witty and shows just how close some of these teammates are (especially Batman and Superman). The only real complaint would be that Batman almost seems too much of a jester.
As I’ve mentioned before (in other reviews), Snyder is crafting something all his own and this issue (and the entire arc) is really just the start. It’s like taking a puzzle and crafting the edges. We still have no idea what the finished product will look like, but we have an idea of the structure.
Whether or not you like this book (or even this entire arc) will depend greatly on how you view the League. Some may be tired of the universe ending threats again and again. Priest gave us a nice break, but for me, this is what the League should be and I’m loving it.
Final Thoughts
The Totality arc ends in as epic a fashion as it started and Snyder and company leave me wanting more. It’s epic and we’ve only just scratched the surface. This issue leaves me eagerly waiting to find out what’s next.
Justice League #7: Puzzle Pieces
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
