Justice League International #2 Review

In the second issue of the all new Justice League International things go from bad to worse for the team, but not the reader.

Justice League International #2

Whilst Mr Briggs deals with the fallout from the destruction of the Hall of Justice, the team are in trouble in Peru. The giant robot is too much to handle for the team and the battle takes a turn for the worse when Ice is injured and Booster Gold decides to retreat. Guy Gardner witnesses the teams failure and heads off to confront Booster. As the team return to their devastated home base anger flares up as people begin to question Booster’s leadership. However after a pep talk by August General In Iron, the team get behind Booster just in time for the giant robot situation to get worse and that’s the book

This issue is chocked full of action and team politics as Dan Jurgens delivers a more confident script that is no longer tied down with introducing the characters and plot strands. Like any good classic superhero team story we have the team defeated and disenfranchised by the half way point of the issue but by the end there is a sense that they will get it together and win the day. It’s a tried and tested formula and with this bunch of characters it will be nice to see the outcome.

As with the last issue Jurgens again demonstrates that he has a grasp on all the characters and the exchanges between Rocket Red and August General In Iron are still stereotypical but unlike the last issue they are toned down and bring the humour they where intended to. Talking of August General his little speech where he pledges loyalty to Booster is a nice touch and the fact that Batman is still cast as a full supporter of Booster’s role as leader is still a welcome characterisation for the him. Godiva still steals the panels she’s in with her flirty charm and Vixen gets some much needed dialogue to distinguish her from the other women. However Ice and Fire are still underdeveloped. But this maybe addressed later as Guy shows his affection for Ice, which is similar to his pre-reboot days, but Ice’s reaction to it is a new direction, which maybe fun to explore.

Another triumph of the book is how accessible it is. From it’s captions stating everyone’s names and codenames to the pacing of the book, it seems like even if you missed issue 1 you can jump in with this straight away and that’s a good thing with some of the new 52 presenting complex stories from the get go, so if you miss #1 you won’t be able to understand #2.

AAron Lopresti continues to impress on this title. His pencils are well detailed with everyone’s expressions showing a depth of emotion that compliments the script, especially when dealing with either Booster reacting to the deteriorating situation or Guy seeing Ice get hurt on TV. The action is clear as it depicts the team failing to stop the robot and the double page splash introducing the team at the beginning of the book is a great example of this (and perhaps even a mini poster). Matt Ryan continues to add a vibrant palette to the book with his colouring. It perfectly compliments the tone of the book and is a refreshing change from all the dark and gritty books spinning out of the relaunch.

This is classical superhero action that is done right. Fun and unique characters combine with an old school plot and colourful art to form a book that is entertaining, light hearted and a little retro. The book is a good example of how you do a good superhero book, which uses elements from the past to frame a new story (and add some nostalgia) but with enough character tweaks to bring a new perspective to the book and above all a lot of excitement, which is a breath of fresh air in a reboot full of sex, violence and angst.

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Tags: Dan Jurgens Justice League Comics & Justice League Reviews Justice League International New DCU