The Good
This issue really establishes Rann and Sardath. More than anything else, readers will learn about The Ultra Project, which was supposed to be a Rannian symbol of unity, which Byth took and made it into some much more sinister. What writer Jeff Lemire does exceptionally well here is build up the cosmic world the JLU are involved in. So much (all) of DC's cosmic universe is pretty much Lantern-related, so it's nice to see something a bit farther away from that, and having Lemire write it makes it so much better.
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED is a ton of fun. It's imaginative and explores parts of the DCU that haven't been explored yet. Lemire's writing is incredibly different from the other books he's worked on, but it's just as good here. He does a fine job at setting up this team, in this issue, and having their personalities play off each other.
Towards the opening of this book, there is a great back and forth between Green Arrow and Animal Man. They're basically just ripping on each other and their powers, but it's a really fun scene and says a lot for how other characters think of each other in the DC Universe.
Mike McKone's work has never looked better. He and inker Dexter Vines, and Cam Smith, along with Marcelo Maiolo on colors, do one heck of a job throughout this issue. The splash page featuring Supergirl is the best looking page in this issue. The art is clear and crisp and the inks really fit the look of this book.
Marcelo Maiolo does some fantastic and some familiar things with his color work. There's certain moments where the background becomes red and the highlighted figure or object goes black and white. It's a very cool tactic that puts emphasis on a moment or action. There's also a quick, two-panel moment where it goes back to a moment with Byth in the past that Maiolo does flat colors. It works so well for that scene, and it's great to see Maiolo play with numerous different styles here. Aside from that, Maiolo's colors are wonderful. His shading and color-work look great here. He's on the top of his game in JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED.
The Bad
While this book is incredibly interesting, there is a problem with the overall issue. Lemire spends so much time trying to tell the reader that Byth is a horrible being and super-evil. Between the moments with Lobo and Hawkman and the moments where Sardath talks to the JLU, the reoccuring conversation of "Byth is someone really bad."
Supergirl's appearance feels a tad out of nowhere. Part of the problem with her being here, which is more on DC than Lemire, is that she's still a Red Lantern, so how is she not a Red Lantern here?
The Verdict
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED is still setting up the story for the series, but Jeff Lemire is doing a fine job here in issue #2. There's a few problems with driving the point home that Byth is evil, and the fact that Supergirl's appearance feels a bit forced, but aside from those two things, JLU is a very fun book, which is something DC really needed. At times, it's funny, but overall, the art and writing are wonderful and provide a great home for these characters. Overall, I highly recommend this issue.
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