By Kelly Gaines

DC fan's irrational fear of Scott Snyder gets less irrational with each project. I'll be blunt- this Justice League title is fatally underwhelming. We have seen all of this before- the massive monster fights, the villain plotting, the team that reluctantly works together- it's been done. There's such strong support for this specific Justice League line up from fans of the animated series, and it's heartbreaking to see their potential ignored. 

As of issue #2, the world- the Multiverse, actually- is still in danger. The Justice League is doing their best to keep a massive intergalactic power source known as The Totality under wraps while simultaneously dealing with the repercussions of anyone who gets to close. We're talking big monsters- Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla big. The Suicide Squad's involvement leads to an even more massive Killer Croc, and an even more massive problem. How do we solve a lack of character development issue? By adding more characters, apparently. So now we have The Justice League, The Legion of Doom, The Suicide Squad, and whatever dorky name Vandal Savage picked all vying for the same power source, and also the reader's attention. It's a lot. It feels like coming into the story at the 'rising action' part they teach in high school English. It's big names and big problems, but zero reasons to care. I don't like this team yet. I don't care about them. As the characters I'm familiar with and enjoyed in the show, yes, I love them. But as they're presented in this title I', apathetic. The best Justice League stories are the ones that ground the gods in a sense- the ones that connect ordinary and fantastic beyond just having team members argue and flirt. It's too surface level, and without developing a sturdy foundation, the title as a whole will suffer. 

My main issue is the lack of character exploration. From the start, it's been big ideas. The earth is in danger, villains are rallying, and heroes are fighting back. It's the 'Once Upon a Time...' of superhero stories. It's familiar, we've seen it before, and we know what kind of story we're going to get. I keep repeating this, but it's an infuriating point- THIS IS A GREAT TEAM. If a kids show can give these characters depth and personality, I would expect a seasoned writer with years of experience writing superhero stories to be able to at least mirror that same depth of character. We haven't spent enough time with the team. We haven't gotten to see what happens between the intergalactic missions and big fights. That's where readers connect and relate. Being super doesn't mean anything if we don't know what makes them a hero. And yes, most readers right now know exactly who these characters are and their specific strengths and weaknesses, but what about readers coming in on this note? What about the kid that is picking up their first adult comic book? How many of us wouldn't have developed an interest in these sorts of stories if the animated Justice League wasn't good? A 'been there. Done that' of action scenes won't captivate new readers when there are so many titles out there pushing the boundaries. 

If this book weren't Justice League, if it were a first attempt at comics from a new writer, it wouldn't sell. All of the faith and public interest relies on the fame of the characters and popularity of the lineup- not the story. It's not good. As of this issue, I don't have a lot of faith for Justice League. The foundation is missing too many key components. 

Score: 2/5

Justice League #2
DC Comics