Justice League #34 review 


It’s a busy day for the Justice League. In space, a massive alien fleet is heading straight to Earth. On Earth, ‘YouTube jihadists’ have taken nuns hostage, and an earthquake threatens a coastal community. It takes the entire League in three shifting groups to tackle the situations... and for one member, it leads to a crisis of confidence. 

That’s a very quick recap, but there’s a very seductive devil in the details. That’s new writer Christopher Priest, who shows that he’s terrific at handling the dynamics of the world’s greatest superheroes. With Cyborg coordinating, the members move to where they’re most needed at any given time, and we get situations we’ve never previously seen.


It’s the Justice League Espionage Squad! And it seems that if Aquaman does manage to avoid taking up the throne of Atlantis in his own book once more, he could drive a bus for a living. There’s also a great scene of Wonder Woman challenging those supposedly godly terrorists. 


There’s a point at which Cyborg tries to join Batman’s mission and he’s told to stay in the JLA Satellite as ad hoc back-up, and I was afraid he’d be sidelined as he has been so many times in the past few years. That’s just Priest teasing us so he can subvert expectations down the line - there’s an argument to be made that Vic is the MVP this issue. 

One scene I really like this time is set at Wayne Manor. 


That’s exactly what Bruce Wayne’s life would be like, if this is the end of the all-powerful ‘Bat God’ depiction, I’m all for it, much preferring a human who pushes himself and really has to struggle to win the day. 

Justice League #34 is almost a done-in-one, working as a nice day-in-the-life tale, but it’s the start of an arc that I won’t be missing - I’ve run hot and cold with Priest over the years, finding his occasional lateral storytelling techniques frustrating. Here, my biggest problem is not getting the opening sequence. Simon’s been praying at something called the Evander Terradome, somewhere called Dione. Google tells me that’s a moon of Saturn, and I suppose it’s as good a place as any to commune with your god. But what’s the Terradome, a place for visiting Earth folk? Who’s his little alien pal Buzzy, with Gotham Knights shirt and annoying street slang? And while they’re impressive as Green Lanterns once the action is underway, I find Simon and Jess’s conversation unintelligible. 


Oh, and Victor has a line later, ‘That’s a raj’. Say what?

Where has Pete Woods been? At one point the artist was a DC Universe regular, but I’ve not seen his stuff for years. And it’s good to have his clean, attractive work back. He’s a terrific storyteller, and his characters have a real humanity to them. Plus, he draws an amazing spaceship. 


So slimline, as if designed by Apple. 

A couple of other bits I really like are that splash page roll call - a great League tradition that should be the norm - and a Narnia-style Wayne Manor to JL Satellite teleport transition. And while the relative sizes of Superman and Batman is a bit cheeky after 80 years, it makes bags of sense. 


If the credits aren’t leaving someone out, Woods also colours his art here, and the result is excellent... his Simon Baez GL is especially striking. I hope he’s had enough lead time to provide illustrations for the entire storyline, it could make for a spectacular trade. 

The lettering is credited to Willie Schu, who I’m guessing is veteran Willie Schubert. The lettering doesn’t have quite the same character Schubert brought in the old days - a switch from hand lettering to complete fonts? - but it looks great, either way. 

Woods’ cover is a real grabber, while the alternate, by illustrator Nick Bradshaw and colourist Alex Sinclair, is weird and delightful. 


If Priest and Woods are the ongoing creative leads for Justice League, we could be in for a truly satisfying run. 

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Justice League #34 review, Christopher Priest, Pete Woods, Willie Schu, Nick Bradshaw, Alex Sinclair

Comments

  1. Honestly, the only question this book raises for me is why is the Justice League such a small team? If this was the JL of the Unlimited animated series, they'd be able to handle this stuff. The small team thing seems to be the norm now, but I find it a bit silly, especially in a team like the JL or the Avengers. It makes no sense for those teams to be just a handful of characters.

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    1. And a big, me three! I love a big League, and given the size of threats they face, a small elite group makes no sense.

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    2. maybe a specialized team like The Justice League Espionage Squad i mentioned

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  2. have not read this issue yet but eye hope the team gets more members and a supporting cast maybe a liaison with the UN maybe it will be Snapper Carr ooh and more ARGUS in this book please really like Steve Trevor in this book

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    1. Snapper could bring the Blasters with him!

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    2. yeah that would be cool so long as Priest sticks around for a good long while

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  3. Priest sounded worried at Newsarama at how fans would react to humanizing the League more. He should relax since I felt he added a layer rather than replacing anything the League does well...

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  4. I really liked this issue, too -- though like you, I was confused at first about Baz's location. Priest's books usually take a reread to reveal themselves.

    His dialogue with Jessica took me a minute to get, too -- but read it like Baz is assuming Jessica is on a date and doesn't want to be disturbed. And that this has happened before.

    As for "That's a Raj," I looked it up online. Couldn't find anything, but I guessed it signified agreement. And then I slept on it, and realized it was Cyborg's way of saying "Roger that" -- confirming to Batman that the beached oarfish are a result of the earthquake. (Priest even has Aquaman say the traditional "Roger that" earlier in the issue. It's an unfortunate spelling, in that the G becomes a J because of how it sounds, but it makes it less likely we'll be able to interpret it on the page.

    As for Pete Woods, I'm not sure what else he's done lately, but he collaborated with Mark Waid on a few issues of Archie comics a few months ago. And yeah, my impression is he inks and colors his own stuff. He's a treasure.

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    1. Thank you so much Rob. I may have to hire you to come round and help me parse the dialogue. Still, good on Priest for not playing it safe.

      Archie Comics, huh? The new style would be a good fit.

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  5. It was a very good issue, I agree. Much more human.

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    1. The last time I recall such a big change in the feel of the series was when Steve Englehart too over from Cary Bates and friends in the Seventies, and Wonder Woman got ‘snappish’ with the Flash.

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  6. Loved this issue and this new team. Always been a fan of Pete Woods. Somehow Priest has only crossed my path a couple of times.

    As you say, humanizing Batman is something that has been about 20yrs in the making. I thought this felt a bit Silver Age-y with the team splitting up to fight wrongs. And I have no complaints about that.

    Looking forward to seeing more of this type of story as we move along!

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    1. Did you ever have a chance to read that recent Deathstroke issue by Priest I sent? Good one, that!

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    2. Priest has plans for Slade to appear in this book hopefully we can get the epic battle between Wintergreen and Alfred

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  7. still hoping for Starbreaker to appear in this or Kanjar Ro

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