Justice League #9 – Scott Snyder, Writer; Jorge Jimenez, Artist; Alejandro Sanchez, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Corrina: Royal Confab
Ray: It’s a bridge issue before The Drowned Earth begins later this month, and Justice League #9 does a good job of showing off both the strengths and weaknesses of this run. The strengths are that this title has a great team dynamic and likes to explore the personalities of all its members in interesting ways. The main weakness is that its plot can be almost impenetrable at times, in the same way that Final Crisis often was. This is Snyder channeling Morrison, and whether it works will be fully dependent on your tolerance for the cosmic and bizarre. The issue opens with Superman repairing the Earth’s shattered moon piece by piece while Batman undergoes robotic surgery at the Justice League base, finally getting him out of the ridiculous protective medical armor he’s been in for the last few issues. Superman’s mission is made more complicated by the presence of the Coronavores, a species of carnivorous aliens that feast on dying solar energy. While this A-plot is going on, almost every member of the Justice League has something interesting to do.
The best segment of the issue is interestingly the one that has nothing to do with the action. The team’s two royals, Aquaman and Wonder Woman, take some time off and discuss what they’re doing with their private League quarters. The fact that the League HQ has personalized environments for each of the members is an interesting touch, and the two pages where we see what each of the Leaguers is doing with their area gives us a great insight into the heroes’ personalities. Batman’s, in particular, made me laugh. Flash and John Stewart had another really good segment as they discussed their personal touchstones, including a particular burger from Detroit that John Stewart has never forgotten. I wouldn’t have expected Snyder to be so good at these little human touches given his dark past work, but it really works. Hawkgirl and Martian Manhunter’s segment was probably the weakest, suffering from a little too much of that Morrison-esque lingo about the Totality and its impact on her. But I am very intrigued by what is coming next for this title, even if it’s not my favorite of the current Justice League titles.
Corrina: Ambition has been the hallmark of Snyder’s era of the Justice League. Sometimes that means it’s confusing and opaque. Other times it’s wild and fascinating. But, for all the ambition of the storytelling, I expect that ten years from now, this issue will be remembered for its insight into the various members of the League and their separate quarters. Those are the kind of personal touches that tend to stick in the mind, not the specific details of the Totality and how they need to defeat it.
The artist, Jimenez, looks like he had fun creating the spaces as well, offering a beautiful look inside who they are.
Batman’s space made me laugh, too, though after I wondered if he wouldn’t set up a place where people feel comfortable, to take them off guard. Hey, Bruce, you don’t always have to be the bad cop. Flash grabbing a burger for John is great and I’m so pleased to see more of John Stewart in general, especially a role that adds personal touches.
But the highlight is the talk between Wonder Woman and Aquaman, two beings who aren’t quite human in the way the rest of the League is human. (Yes, Superman is human. That’s such a human personal space.) They have elements in common and they’re both curious about the new world around them and their role in it.
So, in short, a classic, but for the people, not the plot.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
