Justice League Dark #2

Peter Milligan, Mikel Janin, and Ulises Arreola continue their craft in another issue of Justice League Dark. With issue #2, the quality of art hasn't changed, it's still beautiful to watch as ever. But will the quality of the script take a turn for the better? Will there be more flying pieces of bone and other plagues to torment the new branch of the Justice League?
 
!2# eussi fo weiver eht nigeb s'teL (If you don't know your backwards reading, shame on you.)

The Good

Mikel Janin consistently delivers some truly gratifying and jarring art in this book that deserves to glare over again and again. His depiction of Dove, Zatanna, and even Deadman can be seen as works easily worth of its admiration. The coloring by Ulises Arreola is always a nice touch to put on Janin's interior art, and it essentially seems tailor-made for Janin. 
 
Peter Milligan, for his part, uses this issue to further emphasize the presence of Madame Xanadu and the current problem with June Moon and the Enchantress. If his objective was to push Xanadu to the forefront of the JL Dark, then he did his job well. The interaction with Deadman and Dove trying to cope with the unconventional means of their relationship is something that seems lighthearted, yet sinister at the same time, which adds a new layer to the story, for better and for worse. The book is not plagued with that many cameos as it was with issue one, allowing for a more concentrated storytelling of the plot. With that said, there's some progress to the story in this issue.

The Bad

The involvement of Deadman's relationship with Dove, and its consequential effect, while it may help the story, it felt a bit bothersome to include in the plot. The turn of events that relate to said relationship, were also unnecessary. Constantine's appearance, while pleasant, was too short, and didn't explain much as to why is he looking for Zatanna. In this regard, Milligan did good, but overall, it leaves a desire that it could've been a whole lot better.

The Verdict

It's a bumpy ride, but with the impressive visuals of Janin and Arreola on coloring that are vital to Milligan's storytelling, this book has the chops to progress into something much better. While the book does give a story worth investing in, it still needs to find its own comfort zone. If you bought the first issue, get this issue, as it is vital to the arc overall. If you want to jump on this book, it's preferable to start from issue #1, because by itself, it gets rather confusing. 4/5 SOLID BUY