Mild Mannered Reviews - Justice League Comic Books

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Justice League #3

Scheduled to arrive in stores: July 4, 2018

Cover date: September 2018

"The Totality" - Part Three

Writer: Scott Snyder
Penciller: Jorge Jimenez
Inker: Jorge Jimenez
Cover: Jorge Jimenez
Variant Cover: Jim Lee

Reviewed by: James Lantz
Click to enlarge


Aquaman, The Flash and Wonder Woman must battle the Ultraviolet Corp's newest soldier John Stewart. He's trying to get the darkest parts of his Justice League allies' souls to come out into the open. The timely arrival of Cyborg prevents this from happening with irradiated ozone. Meanwhile, as Superman and Martian Manhunter fight devolved creatures in the Totality, Batman and Hawkgirl must take on mutagen clusters within the extraterrestrial superheroes' bodies. A white dwarf pulse allows Hawkgirl to proceed within J'onn J'onzz, yet, as the Caped Crusader points out, there could be many unforeseen dangers, ones for which he, Hawkgirl and Lex Luthor, who is hidden in Superman's cells, must prepare.

The Invisible Spectrum and the Still Force are among six hidden forces in the universe. The destruction of the Source Wall brought them out of their cosmic stasis. John Stewart, now back to his normal self, is intent on preventing Sinestro from feeding planets to a sentient black sun called Umbrax from a living phantom galaxy. The Flash is able to pinpoint it in a toxic part of the ocean where nobody and nothing can live called the Nowhere Zone. The Justice League will need to get nowhere fast if they are to stop Umbrax.

Things don't look good for the Justice League. Wonder Woman, Aquaman and The Flash are being attacked by primitive White Martians in Atlantis. Martian Manhunter is being attacked telepathically by beings much like those who were trapped on the Source Wall. Lex Luthor's about to bring his plan into fruition thanks to the Joker being hidden in J'onn, blocking communications with Batman. Luthor may very well succeed in destroying Superman and Martian Manhunter. Sinestro has shown John Stewart a hidden truth that could set the universe asunder. Umbrax and the Invisible Spectrum are drawn to worlds with the darkest, most self-destructive energies, and this time, they've come for Earth.

4Story - 4: Some scene changes feel abrupt, and pacing is a bit slower and rougher than what I've come to expect from a Justice League book. (Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis, Grant Morrison and Mark Waid are difficult to top.) However, like Jorge Jimenez, Scott Snyder seems to be finding his way around this title and its characters rather nicely. Granted, he's still got a tough row to hoe. Yet, if he continues to put out chapters like this one, which reads like it's influenced by the Star Trek and Doctor Who franchises, Snyder could possibly be remembered as fondly for his Justice League run as those other creators I mentioned some decades down the road.

4Art - 4: While I still blame deadline pressure for the hurried look on some pages and panels, I will give the art in this book the rating it deserves. It isn't perfect art, but Jorge Jimenez seems to have found his way around this series beginning with this issue.

4Cover Art - 4: This cover is a vast improvement from the ones of previous issues. It looks drawn in a rushed fashion like the interior art, but it's still a well rendered image.

5Variant Cover Art - 5: After the atrocious variant we got for the last issue, this one is a breath of fresh air. This is the type of art from Jim Lee since his days on Punisher War Journal.

Mild Mannered Reviews

2018

Note: Except for digital first releases, the month dates are from the issue covers, not the actual date when the comic went on sale.

January 2018 February 2018 March 2018 April 2018 May 2018 June 2018 July 2018 August 2018 September 2018 October 2018 November 2018 December 2018

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