Justice League #37 – Scott Snyder, Writer; Jorge Jimenez, Artist; Alejandro Sanchez, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: With three issues till the end, Scott Snyder’s Justice League continues in Justice League #37 to deliver the best widescreen action from a mainstream comic in some time.
When we last left off, Lex Luthor and his army were marching on Justice League headquarters – just in time for Batman to reveal his secret last-ditch plan to survive by turning the Hall into a mobile helicarrier. After a great one-liner from Jarro (everyone’s second-favorite baby version of a legendary alien at the moment), we’re treated to some stunning splash pages from Jorge Jimenez showing off the entire cast in action. As the Justice League tries to break Luthor’s hold over the world in more ways than one, Hawkgirl and Shayne are still stranded in space with Hawkgirl bleeding out – and the Anti-Monitor bearing down on them. While Anti-Monitor has always been more of a plot device than a compelling villain to my eye, the intimate tension of these scenes is excellent. Two characters we care about, a collapsing spaceship, and a powerful cosmic evil.
The best part of Snyder’s run has been the way he’s able to find the human moments in cosmic battles, and one of the best examples is the World Forger’s storyarc. This character came in as a massively powerful villain who fooled the League with a false future. But he’s actually the survivor of an abusive family, and his complex relationship with his brothers and his insane mother has given this run some interesting pathos. He gets a huge moment in Justice League #37 – that may or may not be his last – and sets up an epic final showdown.
One thing that stands out is that M’gann is getting a larger role in this run, to the point of possibly taking her Uncle’s place on the A-team. I’m not sure if J’onn is staying dead after this run – it would be the second time in a decade, and not a great move while his all-time best story is ongoing – but more Miss Martian is always welcome. It’s hard to believe that Snyder is wrapping up in only two issues, but given that he has something bigger coming with Capullo, I can’t wait.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
