Justice League #9

With last month's issue wrapping up the Apokolips storyline, and coming hot on the heels of the Free Comic Book Day New 52 release, this month's Justice League is very much a stage-setting issue. If the glimpses we get at the new villain, "Graves" are any indication, then the play to be performed on that stage is going to be a wild one.

Graves' role has been teased throughout the series to this point, having shown him penning a number of books on popular conspiracy theories relating to Atlantis, Ancient Civilizations, and the Tunguska event. If I needed any further proof that comic writers are looking to the lunatic fringe (as I discussed in my recent column) for story material, the appearance of these particular themes would put me over the top.

Beyond teasing Graves' role in this arc, the issue spends the majority of its time giving us a window into the different relationships between the core members of the Justice League. We get to see some wonderful banter between Barry and Hal, as well as a fun "lunch break" with Clark and Bruce working together to stop a breakout at Arkham Asylum. Wonder Woman again has little to do in this issue, but when she does appear, it is with force and she is used to great effect. As far as the script goes, it moves along very well, giving us just enough of almost all of the Leaguers (Aquaman is mysteriously absent) without belaboring any one particular pairing too much.

If the issue has a weakness, it is that Jim Lee's art seems somewhat rushed. He seems to be becoming overly reliant on the built-in lines of the revamped costumes, and this is nowhere more apparent than when we see several scenes of "normal" people and their encounters with Steve Trevor. The expressions do not seem to match well with the dialogue, other than that of Trevor. With the exception of the final scene, even Trevor himself seems more a sketch that is well-colored rather than a fully fleshed-out image.

The best part of this issue was the SHAZAM backup. While many fans have been none-too-fond of the less-shiny version of Billy Batson being delivered here, we start to see what it is that will make him worthy of the power that we know will eventually be bestowed upon him. While his best line seemed to be lifted from the recent Captain America film, that is a fault I'm willing to forgive, as he delivers some much-deserved justice to a group of silver-spoon-fed youngsters at his new high school. While this Billy may not be the one that most of us grew up with, he does begin to grow on you, in a good way. If it weren't for the stellar work of Gary Frank, some of the story would come off as a bit underwritten, but with the artist's brilliant command of expression, it reads more that whatever Billy is thinking he mostly keeps to himself. There is some serious anger to the young man, and Frank's terse pencils convey it excellently.

All-in-all, between the lightning motif content in the Shazam story and the various threads that tie Graves to Pandora, this issue picks up where the Free Comic Book Day issue left off and takes a running start into the next chapter of what appears to be the spine of the New 52 DC Universe. While Justice League may not be the deepest book on the shelves, it delivers on action and gives the reader an excellent sense of what the bigger picture is within the world of these characters. If you have been enjoying the stories in the main line, this book is a must-read, as it is sure to have major ramifications moving forward.

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