Writer: Geoff Johns
Artists: Gene Ha, Andres Guinaldo & Joe Prado
Since this series started the New 52 it's been nothing short of amazing, and although it may have had the odd blip along the way, it's always been fun, and unique, and well worth the purchase. With Trinity War creeping ever so closer I really look forward to seeing what's in store for the Justice League, and what causes them to clash with the Justice League of America, and Justice League Dark.
Plot
After getting food for the Justice League, Element Woman returns to the Justice League Watchtower to find the rest of the new recruits being attacked by Despero.
Shazam! Chapter 12
Now captured by Black Adam, Billy Batson finally learns the truth about Black Adam.
Review
This was yet another brilliant issue, and although the series is still not quite to the highest level that it's been in the past, it's still much better than it was a couple of issues ago. Geoff Johns has been doing an excellent job with the Justice League over the last couple of years, and although it's not always been perfect, most issues have been very enjoyable. I loved how in this issue Johns was able to make it fun, and lighthearted in places, whilst also making it very dramatic, and suspenseful in others, and he found the right consistency in this issue. I also liked how Johns managed to add some mystery throughout this issue, as there were things that left you speculating as to what's actually going on, which was nice, and really added another layer of drama to this issue. I did however find it slightly disappointing that the Justice League didn't feature as much as I'd have liked in this issue, as although I know that Johns is currently trying to focus more on the new recruits to the Justice League, which is nice, I'd still like to see more of the Justice League that I've enjoyed reading over the last two years. Johns did however also do an amazing job with the action in this issue, and overall he did a great job on the issue, and I'm sure it will get even better with Trinity War.
I wasn't entirely sure what to think of the art in this issue, as although I was upset that Ivan Reis once again was missing an issue, it wasn't the worst art that I've seen, as Gene Ha, Andres Guinaldo, and Joe Prado's pencils were decent, as was Zander Cannon's layouts. Having not seen much art from any of these artists I'm not entirely sure about who did what in the issue, so I'll refrain from naming anyone when talking about a specific piece of art, and most of my comments will be about the collective in general. The art that I probably liked most in this issue was during the fight against Despero, as although it wasn't excellent, it was very dynamic, and dramatic, and really helped to make the sequence feel more alive. I also felt that along with this, Cannon's layouts were the next best thing about the artwork in this issue, as it really made the whole story flow smoothly, and yet again added more drama to the story. I did however notice that due to having multiple artists working on the same issue that the artwork was a little inconsistent, as there were parts that were very smooth, and others that were much rougher, and although none of these were bad, it would have been nicer if the art was more consistent.
This issue opened with one of the new Justice League recruits, Element Woman, ordering food for the Justice League. Now prior to her appearance in this series I've known nothing about Element Woman, and with her having not had a huge role until now I still didn't really know anything about her until this issue. I have to say she's one of the most wackiest character's that I've seen in recent years, and if there wasn't character's like Howard the Duck, and Doop out there I may have even classed her as the wackiest. I did however find her very interesting, and loved how she added a bit of fun to the issue, especially with the fact that she was buying food for the Justice League, which was a bit mad in itself. I do however question whether she'll be a valuable member to the team in the long run, but only time will tell.
The big thing about this issue had to be the presence of Despero, who was shocked with what he found at the Justice League Watchtower. Now Despero isn't one of my favourite villains, but there's no denying that he's a force to be reckoned with, and that's shown in this issue. The fight that Despero put up against these recruits was brilliant, and easily the best thing about the issue. I also loved how this gave the recruits the chance to get used working as part of a team, as they've not really had experience in that field in the past, so to have a villain of this magnitude face them was no mean feat. I won't go into any more details about this fight, as I'm afraid I'll spoil something, but I will say that it was very enjoyable, and especially the ending.
One of the things I notice whilst reading this issue was that Atom (Rhonda Pineda) kept thinking about a secret that she had, and how she didn't want it getting out, as well as feeling guilty about it. Now in fact it was during a second read through that I really noticed this, and was surprised that I didn't notice it the first time round (couldn't have been paying enough attention). Anyway I won't go into any details about this secret, as to yet again avoid spoilers, but the mystery that it added to the issue was brilliant, as it really added more drama to the issue, and I really enjoyed speculating what it was.
As I said a little earlier, the Justice League don't appear in this issue as much as I'd have initially hoped they would. Whilst the recruits handle Despero, the League are still in discussion as to how Batman got the Kryptonite Ring in the first place, and why he felt it his duty to plan for the worst case scenario. Now most of this didn't really do much for the issue, as the main chunk of the entertainment came from the Despero fight, but it was nice to see that the League wasn't sitting doing nothing, and I really look forward to seeing if any of them change their minds on Batman's actions, or whether things will stay as they are.
One of the things I've loved the most over the last year has been the Shazam! back-ups, and it will be a shame to see them end with the next issue. This wasn't the best chapter in this back-up story, not by a long shot, as although it was very entertaining, it was nowhere near as good as some of the previous chapters have been. The story in this chapter actually went along fairly quickly, as although each chapter only lasting about eight pages, this one felt a bit shorter, even though it wasn't. That was probably due to the story only focusing on one thing instead of a couple, with it mainly telling the true origin of Black Adam. Now I found this issue very interesting, and loved how Johns rectified the things that I questioned about the previous instalment, which was nice. The art from Gary Frank was also once again amazing, and I've been very happy that he's worked on this story, and look forward to seeing him produce a full issue worth of art in the next issue. His style just suits all the character's, especially Black Adam, and Shazam!, and his layout really makes the story that more dramatic. He also adds ton's of emotion to the character's, and he's truly a wonderful artist, and I will miss seeing him on these back-up chapters.
Final Verdict
This was an excellent issue, and a brilliant issue in the lead-up to Trinity War. This issue was very fun, and entertaining, whilst also being dramatic, and serious, also having a hint of mystery to it, which really made the issue diverse. It also had some amazing action, and dialogue, and if this is a sign of things to come, Trinity War should be amazing. I'd highly recommend this issue, and the entire series, as although it's had the odd poor issue along the way, in general it's been amazing.
Rating: 4/5
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Brett Booth
I have been loving this series, and it is quick becoming my favourite Justice League series, as although both Justice League, and Justice League Dark have phenomenal over the last couple of years, this series in it's short time has been going from strength to strength.
Plot
Catwoman has infiltrated the Secret Society of Super Villains' hideout, and is letting her curiosity get the better of her. Amanda Waller enlists the help of Dr. Light, and the Justice League of America follow his finding to the Secret Society's hideout.
Martian Manhunter Back-up
The Martian Manhunter explains why he's vulnerable to fire, and how his planet was destroyed.
Review
This was an amazing issue, and probably the best in the series so far. When Geoff Johns is good he's phenomenal, and although we don't always see this, it's brilliant when we do. I loved how he managed to make this issue everything that I hope for in a comic, as it was dramatic, interesting, mysterious, and entertaining, all at the same time, which was brilliant. The way Johns has continued to develop the character's in this series has probably been what I've loved the most, as he's taken a couple of character's who have had poor outings in their solo series (Catwoman, and Hawkman), and made them amazing again, which I can't thank him for enough. The way Johns has handled the action in this issue was also superb, as although not a lot of it was as exciting as we've seen in the past, it did help with the pacing of the issue perfectly, and there was one action sequence that was really exciting, and entertaining. I've also loved how Johns has handled the dialogue in this issue, as it was perfect, felling very natural, and realistic. I also really liked how he handled the character's emotions, in this issue, as although that's something that the artist mainly shows, Johns dialogue also showed this perfectly.
This issue was the first in the series not to have been drawn by David Finch, with Brett Booth taking over art duties for this issue, and the next, with Doug Mahnke then taking over during Trinity War. Now I have to say that although I really liked Finch's art on this series, I'm so glad that Booth has taken over, and am just upset that it's only for two issues. To be honest I'd never thought of Booth working on a Justice League book, expecting his run on Nightwing to be much longer than it is (it will end after issue 21), but after seeing his art on this issue I'm very happy that he's on the series, even if it is only two issues. The detail in Booth's art is just outstanding, and he really makes everything look amazing, which I've always admired about his artwork. The thing that probably stood out the most for me with Booth's art was the way he drew the character's, as he managed to make them all look phenomenal, especially Catwoman, and Shaggy Man. I also loved Booth's layout's, as they really added more drama, and suspense to the issue, making it that much more exciting. As I said earlier Johns did a brilliant job showing the character emotion through his dialogue, but as is usually the case the artist still shows the most emotion, and this is no different with Booth. Booth did an amazing job of this, as you could see the curious, and charm in Catwoman's expressions, and you could also see both the determination on Stargirl, and the frustration, and anger on Waller, all of which was amazing.
This issue started with Amanda Waller giving Dr. Light a call, asking for his help. Now I'm not the biggest fan of Dr. Light, and don't know too much about him as a character, besides the basics, but it's nice to see him make an appearance in this series. Without going into too much more detail about Dr. Light's appearance in this issue, I'll finish by saying that I really look forward to seeing what role Dr. Light will have to play in this series, and how Johns will use him in the rest of this story, especially considering Dr. Light used to be a member of the Secret Society of Villains prior to the New 52.
In this issue the JLA got themselves a lovely new modified C-17 Boeing military transport jet. Now I loved the fact that the JLA got their own jet, especially with the classic logo on the side, but when it was revealed that the plane could also turn invisible, I couldn't help but see a similarity to Wonder Woman's Invisible Plane. Besides that I really loved all the cool things that Steve Trevor described about the plane, and hope that although it's apparently just for this mission, that we see it, or another one later on in the series.
Last issue ended with Catwoman being taken in by the Secret Society, and being strapped to the same chair that Scarecrow was strapped to in the second issue. Catwoman however wasn't going to sit and wait for the Secret Society though, as this cat was very curious, going for a look around the Secret Society's hideout. Now I really liked these small sequences, and although they weren't as exciting as the sequences the rest of the JLA were involved in, the conversation from Catwoman was very fun, and added a bit of humour to the issue.
Last issue also showed that Stargirl hasn't been happy with Amanda Waller keeping of active duty, only using her in the media. Well this issue saw Stargirl sneak onto the back of the invisible jet, and Waller was far from happy. Now this didn't take up much of the issue, but I loved that Stargirl finally took matters into her own hands, as Waller has been manipulating people as often as she can, and although that's what make her character the way she is, it's nice when you see someone stick it to her, and that's essentially what Stargirl has done here. Besides that we may now get to see what Stargirl's like in action, which should be interesting, and I really look froward to seeing that.
What was probably the best thing about this issue had to be the appearance of Shaggy Man, which was amazing". Again as with Dr. Light, I don't know a lot about Shaggy Man besides the basics, but it was nice to see him in this issue, with the JLA having, "finally something worth fighting," as Hawkman put it. Now the fight that would embroil between the JLA, and Shaggy Man was also amazing, and very exciting, and this along with the brilliant dialogue from Catwoman was what made this issue as good as it was. Booth's art as I said earlier also really made this sequence that much more phenomenal, and although I'm sure Finch (who's brilliant at action sequences himself) would have done a good job, it would have been hard to have topped what Booth has done here. I also look forward to seeing how this fight continues in next issue.
Now I won't go into any detail about the next part, but I will say that the ending of this issue was shocking, and amazing, and it alone is worth getting this issue, and I look forward to seeing how it continues into the next issue.
One of the other things I've loved about this series over the last couple of issues has been the Martian Manhunter back-up stories, but I wasn't too sure if I liked this one. Matt Kindt did a decent job of telling the story of how Martian Manhunter returned to find his planet in ruins, and how he's vulnerable to fire. I did however find it slightly slow, at time, and it also felt slightly confusing at times, feeling a little too far over the place. It was still however enjoyable, and although it's not necessarily memorable, it was nice to see why he's vulnerable to fire. The art from Andres Guinaldo was good, and although I still prefer the art that Manuel Garcia, and the late Scott Clark produced on the last two stories, Guinaldo still did an amazing job, and you could really feel the Martian Manhunter's emotions. Talking of emotions, that was another thing that Kindt did brilliantly in this story, as I loved how it was very emotional, and sad, with the Martian Manhunter recalling what is probably the saddest time of his life, and like Guinaldo's art did, Kindt did an excellent job of showing this.
Final Verdict
This was probably the best issue in the series so far, being nothing short of phenomenal. The issue itself contained everything I love in a comic, being dramatic, emotional, mysterious, humorous, and exciting, all in the right doses, and Johns really out did himself here. The action was also spectacular, and with appearances from both Dr. Light, and Shaggy Man, Johns definitely seems to be livening things up. I would highly recommend this issue, and the series as a whole, and can't wait for the next issue.
Rating: 5/5
Writer: Tom DeFalco
Artist: Andres Guinaldo
I have been enjoying this series and with Dick Grayson being one of my favourite characters it's nice to see him have a good series, especially one where he's Nightwing the persona I prefer him as. I have been happy with the work Kyle Higgins has been doing with this series and although Tom DeFalco has done a decent job on this issue and the last I will be happy to see Higgins return next issue.
Plot
This issue sees Nightwing continue his fight with the gang of thugs he was facing last issue. After that he gets a phine call from Sonia Zucco who arranges another business meeting with him. Also this issue Nightwing final faces Lady Shiva and the issue finishes by leading into the Death of the Family crossover.
Review
This was a good issue but I'd much rather have Kyle Higgins writing the last two issues. No offence to DeFalco but he's jumped onto this series for two issues to fill in the gap between these issues and Death of the Family and it appears he's quickly thrown together something including a high profile villain. There are parts of his writing I like and the story in general isn't bad, it's just that it's felt too rushed and would have probably been better over a few more issues. I would like to see DeFalco have another go of writing Nightwing but as long as he gets a few issues to do a proper story as these tow issues haven't given him enough time to show what he can do with the characters.
Andres Guinaldo's art in this issue is amazing and I have loved his work over the series. I love the way he draws the characters and although he doesn't add detail in a lot of the scenery I can forgive that due to the brilliant way he draws the characters. I like the way he draws the fight sequences in this issue and think that he can move the pace of a fight very well. I love how he draws Nightwing somersaulting in slow motion showing how he landed. I've always liked this kind of art in fights that involve acrobat style fighters and Guinaldo does it perfectly. It's always nice to see emotion on characters faces during comics and Guinaldo does an amazing job of showing what the characters, especially Nightwing are feeling.
What I've been waiting for since last issue, the fight between Nightwing and Lady Shiva. So was it good? I liked the fight but it was a bit disappointing. The fight was a bit rushed and after such a great set up in Nightwing #0 I was expecting something a bit better when the fight came about. I know that Shiva is meant to be this brilliant assassin but Nightwing looked like he didn't stand a chance, which didn't make for a fair enough fight. At the same time I also felt that Shiva went to soft on him which showed that Nightwing would have had even less of a chance if she was putting 100% into it. The fight overall was very good and although a few points bothered me it was probably one of the best fights in comics this week. I'm also looking forward to seeing a rematch between the two further down the line and it would be nice if Nightwing learned enough in that time to put up more of a fight.
There was also a sequence where Dick talks to Sonia on the phone which I felt dragged the issue along. Although it lead into revealing Shiva's reason for being here it was unnecessary and I would have preferred more time spent on the Shiva fight. The conversation itself was also similar to the one they had in a previous issue where Sonia is calling to make a business meeting. I would rather they just show you the two having a meeting or not and just get it over with instead of teasing something that might never happen. I may be nitpicking here but I felt that this conversation was just to fill time in a story that's essentially filling time.
I also loved how Penguin's involvement in the last issue was mentioned during this one and how he also made a brief appearance during. His role over the two issues makes you question how much he knew and if he was keeping something from Nightwing. It also made me question whether Penquin was actually involved with any of the events that happened during this story.
I liked the leas into the Death of the Family crossover at the end and although it probably could have kept till next issue it's a nice teaser of what's to come.
Final Verdict
This was a good issue and a nice end to the two part story featuring Lady Shiva. I would recommend getting this issue but if you're a new reader considering getting the series I would advice waiting till the start of Nightwing's part in the Death of the Family crossover in the next issue.
Rating: 3.5/5
