Justice League Incarnate #2 – Joshua Williamson/Dennis Culver, Writers; Kyle Hotz, Andrei Bressan, Paul Pelletier/Norm Rapmund, Artists; Hi-Fi, Colorist
Ray – 8.5/10
Ray: The purely chaotic tone of this comic is the best thing it has going for it right now, surrounding a compelling group of multiversal heroes with some of the most insane action going on in a comic right now. President Superman, Thomas Wayne, Avery Ho, and the new Doctor Multiverse are joined by an oddball group including Captain Carrot and Mary Marvel as they ping-pong from world to world. Darkseid and Orion are at war, battling for control of the House of Heroes, and the multiversal warriors try to get allies on Earth-13—a world of dark magic influenced by a bygone line in DC history. The art shifts dramatically in this issue with the worlds they visit, and Kyle Hotz is a perfect choice for the Earth-13 segment. Very Kelley Jones-esque, but a little less stylized, and the haunted world features some surprising guest-stars from cult favorite characters from DC books past.
From there, it’s back to the main battle, as a new player enters the fray—the Batwoman Who Laughs, a twisted refugee from Earth-11. Yes, it’s a blatant cash grab to bring back one of the most popular characters from recent DC history. But it’s also highly entertaining and adds some dangerous energy to the book briefly. At times the action can be a little too hurried, but there are some good character beats mixed in, be they Thomas Wayne’s slow redemption arc or a surprisingly heartfelt interaction between Mary Marvel and Captain Carrot. With such a big cast of characters, it can be hard to follow everyone sometimes, but the end of this issue promises a big status quo change that might make for a lot more opportunities for artists to show off their unique styles. It’s definitely an event comic, but by sending it off to the fringes of the multiverse, it works better as a stand-alone adventure with the best of DC’s weirdest corners.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
