Without a doubt, one of the best – perhaps the best – aspect of modern comic books is the staunch focus on characterisation and relationships. Back in the Golden Age, it was all about plotting – the heroes were purer than pure, while the villains were meaner than mean. While a sprinkling of silliness during the Silver Age brought about some change, there remained a distinct feeling of plainness when it came to people. But then the Bronze Age arrived. Thanks to writers like Dennis O’Neil transforming the likes of Green Lantern and Green Arrow, characters were finally three-dimensional. A few years later, relationships started to feature at the forefront of DC titles, most notably due to Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s creative excellence in The New Teen Titans. Yes, plotting is crucial. But that characters and relationships are the lifeblood of stories, transforming simple words and events into emotion and feelings. Although Dwayne McDuffie’s run on Justice League of America (vol 2) hadn’t got off to a terrible start, it’s plotting was predictable. In terms of characters, there was clearly potential – one of the most intriguing areas of the run focused on Vixen, whose powers are deteriorating, resulting in her stealthily stealing the powers of her fellow heroes in the team. This aspect of the run has remained unexplored, as has other plotlines focusing on the personalities of the team. But from here on out, this begins to change…
Justice League of America (vol 2) 22-26 – a five-parter named Second Coming – was published from August to December 2008. Written by Dwayne McDuffie, most of the art is by Ed Benes, but there is also art by Prentis Rollins, Rodney Ramos, and Derek Fridolfs.
During this era in the Justice League’s history – between Identity Crisis and Final Crisis – and there are four main relationships within the team that summarise these heroes during these years. The first focuses on the team’s most powerful three heroes – Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman – and their relationship with the team leader, Black Canary. The second is a personal one – Hawkgirl and her love interest Red Arrow. The third is more personal still – Red Tornado’s future with his team and family. Meanwhile, the fourth relationship focuses on Vixen, and the story of her declining powers. While all four of these relationships have been given some pages of attention, they have yet to be explored deeply or on another level. Second Coming begins to explore some of these relationships.
Justice League of America (vol 2) 22 begins with the sacking of a member. With Black Canary now aware of Vixen’s troubles, she revokes her JLA membership. This harsh move creates some delicious division in the team, and it’s about time too. Black Canary has been leader of the team for several issues now, but not much focus has been put on that. Giving the team a strong leader is made better by the drama within the team. Superman knows already about Vixen’s problems; therefore, hiding them from the leader sets the stage for future controversy. Second Coming’s plot picks up from where a back-up story from four issues prior left off. Torn apart during The Injustice League Unlimited storyline, Red Tornado’s consciousness is to move to a new and improved streamlined body. With the help of Zatanna, the Chief, and a few other boffins, Red Tornado is reborn in a new armour. But of course, there’s a catch. Just as all seems well, Red Tornado awakens and begins attacking his teammates. It’s no longer Red Tornado, but Amazo – the most dangerous of the team’s villains.
Featuring Amazo as a villain is effective if done occasionally. Like Despero, Amazo’s strength in having the powers of all the Justice League heroes makes him a formidable foe for the league, and it would be a shame to lose the feeling of fear and suspense that arises when Amazo remerges to fight the heroes. Although Amazo certainly proves to a be challenge for the heroes, the long fight scene during Justice League of America (vol 2) 23-24 is pretty standard stuff. No hero is critically damaged, nor are any emotional or impactful scars left behind. In the end, Amazo is beaten out of the robotic body by Red Tornado, who re-enters his repaired old body. Compare this plotting to the stark storytelling of Despero’s duel with the Justice League International by Giffen and DeMatteis, which leaves a huge mark, this one is fairly pedestrian. Although the following issue does contain a conclusion of a kind – with Batman, Red Tornado, and Zatanna, going after Professor Ivo, the inventor of Amazo – it’s nothing creative or particularly memorable. We can be thankful that that lack of imagination or uniqueness in this story is relatively short, given that Second Coming is actually two stories in one.
While the Amazo plot takes up just half of Second Coming, the opposing half is far more interesting, creative, and shocking. Although Black Canary threw Vixen out of the team, it’s revealed that this is simply a temporary arrangement – the goal here is to make sure Vixen returns to her former glory. With the help of Zatanna, it’s discovered that a strange demonic spider-creature has placed some kind of limitation on Vixen and her powers. But Vixen is not the only one with such limitations. I pray that I was not the only one who smiled ear-to-ear when, at the end of Justice League of America (vol 2) 24, Animal Man returns to the pages of a mainstream DC Comic. And by Animal Man, I don’t mean that gigantic flying creature that Jamie Delano created, or whatever Jerry Prosser mustered up in his brief forgotten run in those dreaded Vertigo days. No, this is the Animal Man of the Grant Morrison era. Vixen and a few other members of the team have a barbecue with Buddy Baker and his wonderful family. Although we witness very little of the family, just going back to that brilliantly familiar and sweet world is enough to dramatically increase the quality of a tale. Vixen and Animal Man are both linked to the Morphogenetic Field – or the M-Field, or the Red, whatever you wish to call it – which allows heroes to tap into the powers of animals. Although Buddy Baker’s powers have changed somewhat, he can’t buy into Vixen’s story that they are under the influence of a strange demonic presence. But he’s wrong.
With the set stage for an intriguing and different-kind of tale, Justice League of America (vol 2) 25 – a noticeably longer issue – begins with a marriage proposal. Red Tornado finally proposes to his wife, a sweet and symbolic move, given that this title began twenty-five issues before with The Tornado’s Path. But this is to be the only warm and nice news of this issue. Vixen is absorbed into her own Tantu Totem (the talisman which gifts Vixen her powers) and met with the villain of Second Coming – Kwaku Anansi, a mythical figure from African folklore who is central to Vixen receiving her powers. This creature absorbs Animal Man into its web of terror, and proceeds to spout lies and present falsities in an effort to frighten. Kwaku Anansi is rendered to appear frightening, but more than anything, it’s a trickster. Its overly verbose personality does admittedly become tiresome, but it tries desperately hard to confuse the heroes and obliterate their courage and determination to overcome its power. There are some greatly dark scenes, such as when Kwaku Anansi presents the two heroes with apparitions of the deaths of Black Canary, Red Arrow, and Firestorm, made harsher by the creativity of the dialogue. Although the villain here is vague in background and goals, it’s impossible to deny its terror, making it a far bigger threat than Amazo.
Since the realm of the Tantu Totem is controlled by Kwaku Anansi, it has literally had the power to rewrite and change history. Kwaku Anansi does this by creating a new reality, one where there is no Justice League capable of destroying it. Towards the end of Justice League of America (vol 2) 25, we witness the creation of a different, darker, but less able Justice League of America on a world dim of hope. Bruce Wayne’s parents continue to die in that darkened alley, but the young orphan turns the gun on their murderer, placing himself on the path to become the dark vigilante known as Paladin. There are others too, such as a Wonder Woman in mourning after the death of her husband Superman in his titanic fight with Doomsday. In effect, McDuffie creates a new Elseworlds universe for this story – what a marvellous and grand decision to take, especially in a run thus far devoid of much unique.
Justice League of America (vol 2) 26 provides us with more of this new and darker world. Vixen witnesses Paladin ruling over the streets of Gotham, with Commissioner Gordon also something of a rogue. Sadly, for such an expansive world with its own timestream and characters, we are only given scant pages before Vixen whisks these characters away to place them in a battle filled with finality against Kwaku Anansi. Vixen tells the heroes of this world that Kwaku Anansi has created them, but they too readily give up their fate. Sure, we see some, like the grieved and depressed Wonder Woman, battle with their emotions over this, but it’s only for a brief scene before they give up their existence all-too quickly and prematurely.
Really, these characters should have been introduced far earlier in the tale. As it stands, they don’t have sufficient time or space to feature or develop, meaning readers can only really appreciate them for what they could have been, rather than what they were. This alternative Justice League team up with the regular heroes and defeat Kwaku Anansi, who is shocked to find that Vixen has so stunningly used her own power within the Totem to achieve change. In the end, Kwaku Anansi is not exactly defeated. Vixen’s powers are returned, but Kwaku Anansi remains within the Totem. I suppose it hints at future stories and drama that will no doubt come, but it’s a somewhat disappointing and rushed ending.
As it stands, it’s hard to justify that Second Coming should have been one story. It is obviously two, and the fact that two plots must share the issues creates problems. Overall, it feels like neither the Amazo plot nor the Kwaku Anansi storyline have sufficient time to breathe or develop into something more impactful. There is promise, especially with the latter half, but it’s not realised due to a stark lack of space. Personally, I would have jettisoned the Amazo half and focused primarily on the Vixen storyline. The first half felt too regular and predictable, while the latter issues were improved by a good villain and memorable plot. It’s helped too by the wonderful relationship between Vixen and Animal Man, laced beautifully but subtly with references to past tales and foes – most notably Hamed Ali, the villain of Animal Man (vol 1) 10-12 during Grant Morrison’s run. Their relationship is not simply limited to their powers; there is an emotion resonance and connection, and a part of me feels sadness that Animal Man rejects Wonder Woman’s offer at the end of the story to join the team. But that feeling is balanced by happiness, because we all know deep down that Buddy Baker is far superior to the Justice League, in any of its versions. It is a shame that he does seem to vanish towards the end; again, that could have been resolved with more pages. The same applies to that alternative Justice League – what great fun and action could have happened there were the story a few issues longer.
Thankfully, there is at least some consistency in Second Coming. Ed Benes is the main penciller and inker for much of the story. While he too-often veers towards that overly muscular style of art, and his inks are far more perfect, his storytelling is filled with drama and energy. It has the distinct look of a modern Justice League comic book, but it also manages to have impact. For example, his depiction of Kwaku Anansi is alarming and fearful, thereby ramping up the terror of such a dark villain. There are a few fill-in artists during the middle of the story, but their art sadly leaves no lasting impact on either the memory or the story.
VERDICT
Overall, Justice League of America: Second Coming must be split into two. The Amazo tale, while not bad, is too regular and predictable, making it annoyingly similar to previous stories in the McDuffie run. Meanwhile, the Kwaku Anansi storyline is incredibly well-written, full of emotion, and drama. I spoke earlier about the importance of characterisation; it’s impossible to deny that McDuffie is a fabulous writer of people but witness his greatness when he writes such a good plot to go with the great characterisation. The main problem with Second Coming is pacing – there simply isn’t enough room for either story; it’s a great shame given the potential that the story’s latter half certainly has…
Next Week: Justice League of America: When Worlds Collide (Justice League of America (vol 2) 27-28, 30-34). Written by Dwayne McDuffie, with art by Ed Benes, Jose Luis, Shane Davis, Rags Morales, Adrian Syaf, Eddy Barrows, J.P. Mayer, Sandra Hope, John Dell, Rob Hunter, Norm Rapmund, Drew Geraci, Don Ho, Ruy Jose, Dan Green, Jack Purcell, and Mark Propst.
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