Comics! Justice League #5

Justice League #5

Geoff Johns: writer
Jim Lee: penciller
Williams, Hope, Irwin & Weems: inker

The Comic
Well that was a quick read.

Four inkers? Four? It shows. Jim Lee must have been late getting his stuff out or something. Pencil marks are used for shading. Every page has a different tone to it with the art. Shading goes from heavy to barely there.

The writing. Sheesh, the writing. We start off the issue with all the heroes knocked out. I am going to have to check out the last issue, but I don't remember the heroes getting beat right away and knocked out at the end of the last issue. I do remember Darkseid speaking last issue. Not a single word in this one.

This issue basically feels like Green Lantern and Flash are taking the main roles. The other characters barely speak a few sentences. We get the make fun of Aquaman moment as well, which is apparently becoming a staple in the new DC universe anytime Aquaman is on the page and Johns is writing him.

Somehow, we go from the team fighting Darkseid, getting knocked back a few times, and then Green Lantern tries to fight Darkseid on his own while the heroes are off panel. The problem with this is that about half the comic happens between the heroes getting knocked down, to all of them getting back up and trying to fight Darkseid as a team again. In that half a comic of time, Green Lantern gives Darkseid another go on his own, Batman and Green Lantern have a heart to heart where Bruce Wayne reveals his identity, Bruce gets taken away by the crazy flyer guys, and then everyone else gets back up and teams up again.

The timing of those events make no sense. This isn't a team book that you would think a title like Justice League would fit. This is barely even a team-up book. None of this comic is making any sense with the rest of the DC Universe. If Batman's identity is this huge thing that no one knows, why is he giving it away like a girl when she has had her drinks bought for her all night?

Deep breath needed here.

Sigh.

This is low grade superhero spank material. Low grade. And this is coming from the A-team creators. I expected way more than this. If any other creators tried to do this slow pace story, it would be rejected outright and we would never have to read the solicitation for this comic.

This could be so much better.

Nothing gets explained in this comic. You never know what the boom tubes are unless you are familiar with previous issues. You get the idea that Darkseid is some big bad character, but what does he even want? Why Earth? Why does he not even talk?

The Cover
From the cover, you would think that Cyborg would have a huge role in this comic. He did get to discover that Lantern's arm was broken in three places, and if that was the big mystery/reveal for this book then we have some problems. Hell, the person with the least amount of space on the cover has most of the issue devoted to him.

Grades
Words: 3/10
Pictures: 3/10
Recommend: A good example on how good creators can really produce some bad quality work.
Buy Next Issue: Next issue is supposed to be the conclusion. Seeing how at the end of this one we just got Batman through the Boom tube then I don't know how this will be concluded.

Previous Issues
Justice League #4
Three Issue Trial