After the Throne of Atlantis heralded the run’s first cross-over with another title, the New 52 Justice League was about to embark on a marathon of titanic stories which crossed over with countless titles. This not only including other team books like Justice League of America or Justice League Dark, for the Trinity War storyline, but also a whole seven-issue miniseries entitled Forever Evil, which tied into nearly every DC title in 2013. But before that, Geoff Johns wrote three issues of Justice League (vol 2) to refresh the title before the river of never-ending stories were unleashed. I get that three issues aren’t very much, but due to the consumer-culture of DC in the modern era – with the constant use of collected editions and writing stories to ensure that they nearly fit into a trade paperback – this short bridge is a necessary bridge to cross. But these stories do more than break up the run. With the departure of Green Lantern and Steve Trevor from the team, The Grid storyline explores some new characters who could star in the league along with DC’s greatest heroes…
Justice League (vol 2) 18-20 – published from May to July 2013 – was written by Geoff Johns with art by Jesus Saiz, Joe Prado, Ivan Reis, Oclair Albert, Jonathan Glapion, Gene Ha, Andres Guinaldo, and Rob Hunter. These three issues can be read in the Justice League: The Grid collected edition, which also reprints Justice League (vol 2) 22-23, two parts of the Trinity War storyline (Justice League (vol 2) 21 – like issue 0 – are part of the Shazam back-up storyline).
The Grid --- Written by Geoff Johns with art by Jesus Saiz and Joe Prado
Justice League (vol 2) 18 – entitled The Grid – is the closest kind of story you will find in this run to a classic from the Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatteis Justice League International era. There is no titanic threat from a godly villain. Instead, the Justice League want to hire some new members for the team, and it’s done through a mixture of action and comedy sprayed with seriousness.
After The Throne of Atlantis – an event in which the Justice League enlisted the help of other superheroes across the world – our heroes are looking for new members. Thanks to Cyborg, who is linked up to every superhero database in the world (which he nicknames the Grid, hence the story title), a selection of heroes is summoned to the Justice League satellite. These heroes include some heroes who – in the days before Flashpoint – were members of the team once, but there are also some surprises thrown into the mix. We have Black Canary, Black Lightning, Blue Devil, Element Woman, Firestorm, Goldrush, Nightwing, Platinum, Vixen, and Zatanna. A very varied mix. While most of the story consists of conversations between heroes about all kinds of stuff, a threat of a kind emerges when Platinum malfunctions and attacks the other heroes. Since she is part of the dreaded Metal Men team and controlled by Doctor Will Magnus, Platinum was never going to be seriously considered a potential member of the team. This fight allows some of the heroes to prove their mettle, but it does little more than break up the story. The problem is that most of the heroes here aren’t given much time in the spotlight. Heroes like Nightwing, Black Canary, and Zatanna do pretty much nothing here. Instead, the two stars are Element Woman and Firestorm, both of whom take the credit for defeating Platinum. Another hero is also thrown into the mix in the form of the Atom, no longer Ray Palmer but Rhonda Pineda. So, these are the three heroes who are chosen to join the Justice League. It does feel like a splash-dash decision, especially since the Atom didn’t really turn up until the end. But at least they’re interesting choices – Firestorm may have been in the team before, but this new Atom incarnation is mysterious and Element Woman, despite her mediocrity, appears far more interesting than the usual godly heroes we’re treated to. But it’s clear that this story will have consequences as its revealed that the Justice League’s records have been hacked and copied. Who by? Who knows, but all will be revealed in the future. Overall, The Grid is different to previous stories and does provide a change of pace, but it may have benefited from being two parts since most heroes aren’t given any time in the spotlight.
Jesus Saiz and Joe Prado provide appealing art which neither impresses nor turns off readers. It’s pretty basic and the inks are smooth. The storytelling is just fine and while it’s not really memorable, it gets the job done.
War Games/Secrets --- Written by Geoff Johns with art by Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, Oclair Albert, Jonathan Glapion, Gene Ha, Andres Guinaldo, and Rob Hunter
Despero has always been one of the team’s most threatening villains. Even in the most joyous of Justice League runs – the era of Giffen and DeMatteis – the darkest hour comes when Despero undertakes a murderous mission which is genuinely devasting. Therefore, the return of this dark villain is promising.
But before Despero, there’s another mystery developing. In the Batcave, Alfred is knocked unconscious while a masked mystery man breaks in to discover the Dark Knight’s vault – the place where he keeps all the secret weapons which can be used against heroes of the Justice League.
We’ll come back to this later, but in the meantime, Superman and Wonder Woman cause problems as they break up a hostage situation in a country considered an enemy of the United States. Johns doesn’t bog us down in diplomacy and long scenes of dialogue, but he does raise an interesting point which links to the Bat-Cave break-in. Superman and Wonder Woman have the power to solve any problem on Earth and stop any conflict, but they know they can’t without becoming dictators over humanity. This plot point has been with the Justice League for decades, and like Mark Waid did in the early-2000s, Johns is playing around with the team’s power and what could go wrong if they misuse or abuse it. Meanwhile, the rest of Justice League (vol 2) 19 focuses on Firestorm and the Atom as they explore the Watchtower. Firestorm is an interesting addition to the team mainly because he is two people. Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond are two school students who connect together through a matrix to become Firestorm. He talks to himself quite a bit and there is a lot of interesting internal dialogue. But he and the Atom are put to the test when Despero invades the Watchtower, demanding to fight the Justice League.
Justice League (vol 2) 20 features little of the main heroes. Element Woman is going about her day, and we’re introduced to her personality and background character for a just a page before she is thrown into the fight with Despero (think of her like Metamorpho but female and more socially awkward. Anyway, the three heroes are all inexperienced and they fail to take out Despero, but things change when Martian Manhunter appears from nowhere to defeat the big pink invader. Johns doesn’t really reveal much about Martian Manhunter – readers of previous runs will know of the hatred that he has for Despero – but why he is here and then simply vanishes sadly remains a mystery. Superman returns to find Despero unconscious, but it’s revealed that the villain is wearing a Kryptonite ring. This is what was stolen from the Bat-Cave earlier – Johns develops a secretive but highly engaging plot against the Justice League containing many twists and turns. And things become even more interesting when the Atom is revealed (only to us) to be a spy working for Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor. This revelation is a true shocker, and quite similar to what Marv Wolfman and George Perez did with Terra in their New Teen Titans run. The difference here is that the Atom doesn’t seem to be working for an evil purpose, but what’s truly going on is still waiting in the future. Johns also rounds off the story nicely with a return to the Bat-Cave. This time it’s Batman who shows Superman the secrets of his vault. Two great and memorable moments occur in this scene. Firstly, we’re shown Wonder Woman’s greatest weakness – Superman. Batman can’t find any item or weapon that will defeat her, but he knows that Superman is the only person in the world with a chance of beating her. And secondly, Superman is given a secret weapon to use in the future in case Batman himself becomes a threat. We’re not shown what the weapon is, but it’s a key moment as it develops Batman’s paranoia – which Waid conveyed so masterfully in the Tower of Babel – into something more. Batman may still hold all the weapons, but he has trusted Superman with this information. It’s probably the most memorable scene for the World’s Finest duo in the last few decades.
Compared to The Grid, a lot is going on in Justice League (vol 2) 19-20. Despero’s inclusion in the story feels less random when you consider the bigger picture that Johns is painting. A plot against the Justice League is emerging, and with spies and new heroes, Johns constantly makes the title interesting and different. The Despero side of things is a simple fight, but at least the three new heroes are given some of the spotlight. Meanwhile, the topic of misuse of power and how dangerous the Justice League could be never ceases to be intriguing. All-in-all, it’s a strong two-parter that sets up Trinity War, Forever Evil, and Forever Heroes very nicely.
For Justice League (vol 2) 19, Ivan Reis’s art is of high quality and reminiscent of Jim Lee. It looks dramatic and the inks bring the story to life. As for Justice League (vol 2) 20, the art style is very varied. Many artists are involved, but there is little consistency. Sometimes the art looks boringly plain and smooth, while in other pages the visuals are darker, grittier, and almost Vertigo-like. A smooth style is best for a title like Justice League, but some consistency would have been better.
VERDICT
Overall, Justice League (vol 2) 18-20 may be just three issues, but they are important. I like to think of these three issues as setting up the following stories and laying the foundations for the rest of Johns’s run. The Grid plays around with some new heroes, while the following two-parter is full of interesting plot which changes the narrative of the whole run. Like all good writers, Johns reflects on the work of past writers, but enlivens and updates his writing for future stories.
Next Week: Realworlds: Superman. Written by Steve Vance with art by Jose Luis Garcia Lopez and Joe Rubinstein.
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