Written by: Ram V., Brian Michael Bendis Art by: Sumit Kumar, Phil Hester
It’s the Justice League versus the United Order as the truth that gives power to this new cosmic super team crosses a line that the Justice League cannot allow. Will there even be a United Planets after this thunderous clash of intergalactic superpowers? Also, Green Arrow must come to terms with his responsibilities to both Checkmate and the League. Ollie may have to pick which path to follow, but what does it mean for the future of the League if the guy paying the bills has to bail? The Silent School used their magic for years to protect Atlantis from all kinds of invaders, but nothing prepared them for the most powerful sorcerer ever…Merlin! Luckily, the Justice League Dark arrives to turn the tide of the battle. However, they’re not fighting at full strength. Zatanna is harboring a dark secret, and if she unleashes her magic, it could drown everyone!
Written by: Ram V., Brian Michael Bendis Art by: Sumit Kumar, Phil Hester
It’s the Justice League versus the United Order as the truth that gives power to this new cosmic super team crosses a line that the Justice League cannot allow. Will there even be a United Planets after this thunderous clash of intergalactic superpowers? Also, Green Arrow must come to terms with his responsibilities to both Checkmate and the League. Ollie may have to pick which path to follow, but what does it mean for the future of the League if the guy paying the bills has to bail? The Silent School used their magic for years to protect Atlantis from all kinds of invaders, but nothing prepared them for the most powerful sorcerer ever…Merlin! Luckily, the Justice League Dark arrives to turn the tide of the battle. However, they’re not fighting at full strength. Zatanna is harboring a dark secret, and if she unleashes her magic, it could drown everyone!
Written by: Ram V., Brian Michael Bendis Art by: Sumit Kumar, Phil Hester
The Hall of Justice has been invaded by the cosmic threat of the Synmar Utopica, and it will take the full force of the United Planets, led by Superman, to defeat it without destroying Earth in the process. Meanwhile, the secrets of Checkmate are being whispered among the Justice League, and that spells trouble for Green Arrow and Black Canary. All this, and guest star Deathstroke! Meanwhile in Gotham, Batman stands watch as the Eternal Knight continues her quest through the maze of Randir Singh’s mind. And she’s not the only one lost within it! But where is the Justice League Dark in all of this? Under the sea in the lost city of Atlantis! Merlin is ready to rule, and it’s up to Aquaman and this band of magical misfits to save the entire kingdom!
Written by: Ram V., Brian Michael Bendis Art by: Steve Pugh, Sumit Kumar
The Justice League heads to deep space, on the trail of the most dangerous new criminal in all the galaxy. The biggest threat to the United Planets is on the loose, and no one in the cosmos is safe. Meanwhile, on Earth, Checkmate breaks into the Hall of Justice looking for clues to Black Canary’s secret affiliation. What secret affiliation, you ask? It’s a secret, duh! All this, and Black Adam declares himself leader of the League. Plus, as the Justice League Dark plans their next move, Batman makes his in Gotham. An ally from Etrigan’s past holds the key to saving the present, but to retrieve it, the League and the Eternal Knights must venture deep into his twisted dreams. Little do they know, Randu Singh’s mind is a maze that they could end up trapped in for good!
Written by: Ram V., Brian Michael Bendis Art by: Sumit Kumar, Steve Pugh
Introducing…the United! This all-new all-star group of alien warriors represents all voices in the newly formed United Planets. A galactic Justice League, if you will. The first Legion of Super-Heroes? Sort of. The United comes to the new Justice League for help because the biggest threat to the universe is on the loose, and all roads lead to…Superman. All this, and Aquaman has some surprising news. This big, bold, universe-spanning story serves as a perfect hopping-on point for fans curious where their favorite DC heroes go next! Plus: While the Justice League Dark regroups after hitting the books (literally), all eyes turn toward Gotham, where Merlin’s followers gather to protect a mysterious weapon. Now it’ll take not one knight but two to infiltrate the cult and save reality. Batman guest-stars as the Eternal Knight’s new squire in this action-packed tale!
Written by: Ram V., Brian Michael Bendis Art by: Xermanico, David Marquez
The Trial of Naomi commences! After the shocking events of the last few issues of Justice League, the team is forced to confront its larger issues as a group and the responsibilities the League has to the world where they live versus the Multiverse at large. Guest stars galore as Justice League members from the past come to give guidance for the future. Naomi’s fate is revealed. Black Adam joining the Justice League becomes public, and the fallout is surprising. And what cosmic secret is Hawkgirl carrying with her? Meanwhile, the Justice League Dark must rely on the wit of John Constantine to make their way back to the real world, which is slowly losing its grip with Merlin ready to remake it in his image. Little do they know, a knight from the sorcerer’s past is the key to stopping him once and for all. Will she survive long enough to help our heroes?
Written by: Ram V., Brian Michael Bendis Art by: Xermanico, David Marquez
The Justice League! The biggest heroes! The biggest threats! With their powers out of control and trapped on a world they do not understand, the League must band together like never before. Queen Hippolyta is forced to confront her new destiny. All this and a last page so shocking that it will have fans of Naomi screaming! Meanwhile, in our bonus story, the Justice League Dark are trapped in the Library of Babel, where they are learning the hard way that the pen is mightier than their swords. Elsewhere, Merlin sets his sights on a lost city that hides the key to his violent delights. Could this mean a violent end for all?
Written by: Ram V., Brian Michael Bendis Art by: Xermanico, David Marquez
The new Justice League is trapped on a world devastated by a super-powered war, and Brutus hungers for a new home of his own-our Earth! With their powers gone haywire, the League must fight their way out of a post apocalyptic Thunderdome of depravity and desperation. On the run with Batman, Naomi learns more dark secrets of her birth world’s broken legacy, while Hawkgirl and Black Canary battle through the henchmen trenches. But where are Superman and Black Adam, and what kind of trouble is Aquaman in? (Hint: it’s bad.) And in the Justice League Dark story, Ragman joins the hunt! Zatanna, Constantine, Etrigan, and Detective Chimp hit the books-literally-in a possessed library, as Merlin’s plan takes shape before them…and spells doom for the universe.
Although the Rebirth numbering is intact, both the Justice League and Justice League Dark titles get a bit of relaunch in Justice League #59. Brian Michael Bendis, David Marquez, and Tamra Bonvillain bring large scale action and a sequel to Bendis, David Walker, and Jamal Campbell’s Naomi in the lead story. While in the backup “Justice League Dark” story, Ram V, Xermanico, and Romulo Fajardo Jr. tap something a little more mystical as Merlin makes his return, and John Constantine and Zatanna investigate cults and prophecies in rural New Mexico. One of these strives to be modern mythology with all of the biggest toys in the DC Universe toy box while the other one might actually succeed with its riffs on Arthurian legends, the conflict between Heaven and Hell, and the senselessness of human existence underneath it all.
Justice League #59 is a 20 page story, but it feels a lot shorter thanks to an abundance of double page spreads from artist David Marquez. He and Brian Michael Bendis throw readers right into the middle of the fray as a mysterious interdimensional invader named Brutus lands in Kahndaq and confronts its king and protector, Black Adam. This later escalates into a kind of, sort of team-up between Adam and some of the members of the Justice League, which doesn’t thrill a monarch that is more into isolation than cooperation. However, this tension only really shows up towards the end of the battle when Black Adam immediately ejects the Justice League from his land and finally towards the end of the story. Having Black Adam has a wild card is Bendis’ smartest plotting decision, and he definitely fits Green Arrow’s idea of a “dissenting voice” when Oliver talks to the other members about doing “more” as a team.
But, for the most part, this initial Justice League story is lots of punching against a villain that is generically enough called “Brutus”, and the only interesting thing about him is that he’s most likely from Naomi’s home world giving her a reason to appear in the comic beyond being a Bendis co-creation. If you’re familiar with Bendis’ run on the Superman books, there’s a Rogol Zaar vibe to him in that he’s not an interesting character except in his connections to pre-existing characters or lore. You can definitely tell that he’s going to be forgettable character when he decides to peace out in the middle of the battle through an interdimensional portal before
Justice League #59 doesn’t really much to draw readers in beyond being a kind of sequel to the excellent Naomi comic, but it does have its bright spots. David Marquez and Tamra Bonvillain really embrace the wide screen nature of the book and make a middling script gorgeous with Bonvillain contributing deep blues to the bubble-shaped panels when Aquaman and his army of sharks battle Brutus. She also uses really intense red and blues to match Marquez’s speed lines as Superman and Black Adam race to grab Brutus before he disappears. This page is pretty busy, but it drives home the point that Black Adam thinks he’s beyond the Justice League and doesn’t respect Superman unlike the other heroes. (Even the edgy, cocky Green Arrow just wants Superman to agree with him.)
To go along with the blockbuster visuals, Brian Michael Bendis’ writing is at its best when characters are ribbing or arguing with each other a la New Avengers. He seems to have a lot of fun with Green Arrow and Black Canary, who debate both sides of the Justice League’s current status quo and adds a little extra reverence when Superman opens his mouth. Superman also takes lead during the fight scenes, and you can tell he’s the team leader without any kind of exposition about it. We’ll see what Bendis does with them in future issues, but for now, Flash and Hawkgirl are exposition spouters while Batman just reacts to things. As the one non-powered hero during the fight scene, he may have been trying to make Batman a POV character, but few readers can react to an (ex) billionaire and genius strategist/martial artist. Thankfully, Naomi is coming soon to fill this role, and hopefully, she brings a hook too.
Ram V and Xermanico’s “Justice League Dark” doesn’t have a problem with hooks and opens with the return of Merlin to the mortal plane. If you’ve read V’s work on Future State: Justice League, then you know that his take on the mythical wizard is more nefarious than kindly, and Merlin definitely sets himself up as the Big Bad in the pages of this issue. His actions on the final pages definitely set up a need for a Justice League type of team to take him down as Xermanico’s lovely cathedral window layouts and Fajardo’s warm color palette turns bloody and scarlet. Also, V logically connects the John Constantine/Zatanna plot to Merlin’s rise through the appearance of a fan favorite character and basically shows that their mission was just a symptom of a larger disease. It’s tension and escalation all in ten pages.
However, as well as setting up a big-time enemy for this disassembled team to face, Ram V and Xermanico still find time to explore the relationship between John Constantine and Zatanna. There’s a real softness to their interactions even as Constantine does his usual con man hijinks to get them out of a bind as the narration goes slightly nihilistic and focuses on humanity’s stupidity and willingness to place their lives in religions and cults while there’s literally bigger fish to fry. I love how Constantine cares about Zatanna’s feelings after the loss of her father and the disbandment of Justice League Dark, and Xermanico shows this through a beat panel where their hands nearly touch. Constantine and Zatanna will never be a stable couple, but V and Xermanico know they have great chemistry and use it to carry this initial installment of “Justice League Dark” because while Merlin is quite metal, we need someone to root for.
Thanks to a one-dimensional baddie and the usual Brian Michael Bendis decompression issues, Justice League #59 only gets a slight recommendation for me. However, David Marquez and Tamra Bonvillain’s take on DC’s A-list is truly awe-inspiring, and their Black Adam exudes power and contempt as well. Hopefully, there’s more Naomi, Green Arrow, and Black Canary in future issues and less alien punching bag. But the real reason this comic crosses the line from trade wait to a purchase is Ram V, Xermanico, and Romulo Fajardo’s “Justice League Dark” backup, which features both Arthurian legends and supernatural hijinks and has a formidable villain plus witty, yet emotionally honest writing for its leads, John Constantine and Zatanna.
Story: Brian Michael Bendis, Ram VArt: David Marquez, Xermanico Colors: Tamra Bonvillain, Romulo Fajardo Jr.Letters: Josh Reed, Rob Leigh Story: 7.1 Art: 8.5 Overall: 7.8 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
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