Last issue featured Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor choosing which super heroes to include in their Justice League, the team “of America.”  The government is tired of the other Justice League (the one with Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman) running around unsupervised and you also get the idea that the government is afraid of the powerful heroes.  So this Justice League is put together as a possible countermeasure.

But while the US is creating its resident super team, in the shadows, another more sinister group known as the Secret Society is forming.  In this issue we see The Scarecrow being recruited in a pretty well-written sequence.  I’m not a reader of most of the Bat books, so while I certainly know the highlights of this character, this was the first time I’ve ever read him given a motivation, which was pretty fascinating.

For the first time, the heroes meet one another.  This scene is also a lot of fun, playing off of the differences between the characters… and the similarities, in a vignette that goes from funny to kind of heartbreaking, featuring Catwoman and Steve.  Later, the Martian Manhunter is able to extract some information from Green Arrow’s psyche regarding what happened to him when he was disguised as the Dark Hunter, which leads the fledgling team to their enemies.  But things quickly fall apart as the characters start splitting off on their own.

The Martian Manhunter also stars in this book’s backup story, in which he convinces the President that the new super team is essential.

David Finch’s artwork continues to please and really suits the gritty tone of this book.  My one complaint is that Catwoman has her suit unzipped to her navel all issue with no signs of a bra.  That’s not how boobs work.  Especially for an acrobat!  She’s just asking for a back injury!

Scott Clark’s art work on the backup story is even better than Finch’s!  Very photo-realistic!

I liked the interaction between characters.  I liked some of the humorous notes, like Vibe meeting Hawkman.  In all, this was a really solid, entertaining book that worked on nearly every level.

 

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #2
JLA:
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by David Finch
Martian Manhunter:
Written by Matt Kindt
Art by Scott Clark
Cover by David Finch