During “Throne of Atlantis,” Cyborg called in “the reserves” and brought several of DC’s biggest names that weren’t already part of the League. In this issue, the core team tries to decide which heroes to bring in full time, by throwing the super hero equivalent to a cocktail party. The guests of honor are Black Canary, Black Lightning, Blue Devil, Element Woman, Firestorm, Goldrush, Nightwing, Platinum (the only currently existing Metal (Wo)Man), Vixen and Zatanna. There are some fun interactions with this line up. Aquaman and Vixen appear to go waaaaaay back. And stalwarts Zatanna and Black Canary exchange pleasantries. But things don’t go perfectly, as one of these heroes goes bananas and tries to kill the others, flushing out another hidden hero, the new Atom, Latina Rhonda Pineda. (Please note her initials.) She is a student at Ivy University and Cyborg vouches for her, due to her aid during Throne of Atlantis.
Ultimately, only three heroes make the cut/can commit to the team. It’s disappointing because I think several others would fit right in. But there’s still time.
The JL story is shortened somewhat to make room for the Shazam backup feature. Black Adam is rampaging, while Billy Batson hides out in his secret identity to avoid battling this super villain.
Overall the JL story is enjoyable. I liked the banter. It’s illustrated by one of my favorites, Jesus Saiz. No offense to Jim Lee or Ivan Reis, but this is the prettiest issue of this series so far. The Flash is back and explains that his absence in recent issues was due to his battle against Gorilla Grodd. That was a nice touch. Yay continuity!
I have no idea who Goldrush is. I have never heard of her. If you know who she is, please comment below to educate me.
The Shazam feature isn’t really working for me. The art, by Gary Frank is great, but I just don’t LIKE it. I don’t like the characters. I feel like they’re stereotypes. It’s just not working for me.
The Justice League part is fun. The art is gorgeous. The dialogue is entertaining. The Shazam part… well the art is gorgeous. The writing isn’t bad at all, but it’s just not fresh enough.
Justice League #18
Written by Geoff Johns
Justice League Art by Jesus Saiz
Shazam Art by Gary Frank
Cover by Ivan Reis
