Review: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #4

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #4
Written by Geoff Johns and Matt Kindt
Art by Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, and Andreas Guinaldo
Release Date: May 29, 2013

jla4_pg00The Secret Society is finally revealed, as a member of the Justice League of America infiltrates their lair… and meets a startlingly terrible end. But just as one hero is lost, another is created, and the Justice League of America marches closer and closer to Trinity War.

There’s not a whole lot I can say about the plot of this issue that won’t spoil it for the curious reader — a fact that deserves praise all in itself. Here we have another step toward July and August’s anticipated mini-crossover event with the three Justice League titles, but for the first time in the story, we’re getting the sense that there’s an even larger threat looming past that conflict. Picking up threads from the last two months of Justice League, the JLA is up against whoever orchestrated the Batcave break-in and spurred Despero on to confront that other League directly, not to mention Green Arrow’s targets from issue #1. Johns is definitely playing his creative control of the franchise to his advantage, weaving plots and clues to make a more substantial story, without having to weigh down either book for the solitary reader. His characterization is still sharp, particularly that of Catwoman, although most of the issue is dedicated to solid action and plot progression. After a mostly slow set of introductory issues, however, this is very welcome development. It’s a hell of a lot of fun seeing some of these classic Justice League villains rearing their heads again after so many years of relative obscurity. Their presence grounds this somewhat unlikely grouping of Leaguers in tradition (as does clever references like that of Steve Trevor’s invisible jet), although on its face, the team is still quite the band of outsiders.

Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund step in on main story artistic duties and represent a distinct improvement over Finch’s efforts the previous issue. Gone are the heavy inks and somewhat distorted lines in favor of clean and crisp detail panel after panel. From Green Arrow’s stubble to the Shaggy Man’s beard, each character is carefully portrayed — and as many internet commenters have already mentioned, Catwoman remains zipped up the entire issue. Their Stargirl has shifted from super-heroic starlet to determined young woman in a single panel, making it clear that the single most out-of-place character to date really does belong on the big, serious team. Here’s hoping the artistic pair have a significant role to play in this fall’s still-secret DCU event, after this two issue stint and before we welcome Doug Mahnke as the title’s permanent penciller.

Kindt continues the Martian Manhunter back-up story with a tale of the destruction of Martian civilization, as told from J’Onn’s point of view, and while causes aren’t entirely clear, the sheer emotion of the event — as well as some of the creative extrapolations of Martian shared telepathy — makes this a fairly interesting short story. How this and the previous brief interludes will add up to a greater narrative is still unclear though.

As a microcosm for the New 52, JLA and her sister titles are showing exactly what can be accomplished with a fresh slate, a cast of iconic heroes, and a whole lot of carefully laid background intrigue and conspiracy. As a piece of a much greater whole that can still stand on its own, Justice League of America is bringing something new to the table regarding both the heroes and villains, but still making it feel familiar and honest to the characters’ conceptual origins. Nearly two years in, this is exactly what I want out of DC’s leading franchise, and what happens next is anyone’s guess, as it should be.

Verdict: 9.0/10

 

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