Justice League Vs. The Legion of Super-Heroes #2 – Brian Michael Bendis, Writer; Scott Godlewski, Artist; Ryan Cody, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: When Brian Michael Bendis has a big cast to work with, the plot can get a little chaotic. Fortunately, this miniseries has a pretty good hook to set up a crossover—albeit, one that feels more like a setup for a meet-and-greet than a showdown. The Justice League and Legion met in the 21st century, just in time for something called the Great Darkness—not apparently the same one that’s currently being set up as the next DC big bad, I think—to show up and disrupt the timeline again. Now the Justice League has found themselves in the 31st century, being accompanied by their successors in the future. Some weird things quickly come to life—Naomi is apparently a queen in the future, and no one quite gets why Batman is still so protective of his cowl. But overall, these segments feel a bit more like an orientation than they do like a big second chapter of a crossover story.
What works significantly better is the segments set in the 21st century and focusing on only one Legionnaire—the mysterious Gold Lantern, an original Bendis creation. This character has been hyped up quite a bit, but we actually know very little about him. This issue finally clears that up, with a great intro that reveals he comes from a planet where the majority of the residents are blind—including him. This is an intriguing twist, but it isn’t dealt with in too much depth here yet. Still, his team-up with Kelex in the present day as he searches for the source of the anomaly is a lot of fun, and flashbacks to how he became a Gold Lantern give us a lot of insight into the type of character he is and what drives him. I wish he had gotten a lot more spotlight in the original series, because he has a heart many of the characters have never gotten to establish. But the main conflict of this series is still very much up in the air.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
