To quote the Joker as played by Jack Nicholson, “…and where is the Batman? At home washing his tights!” Well maybe not washing his tights, but he along with the other members of the Justice League are conspicuously absent from this issue. However, the League’s absence does not mean this issue lacks conflict, far from it, in fact the Joker and Lex Luthor provide more than enough combative fireworks as the two big bads face off.
The issue begins with the Joker’s maniacal plan to release an extra potent version of his Joker Toxin during a parade routed to run down Gotham’s Central Avenue. Aided in his murderous machinations by a sap named Eddie the mirthful malcontent shows his appreciation for the ill-fated assistance with two fatally placed bullets and a broken promise to warn Eddie’s family of the impending danger in attending the parade. The power struggle between the two cunning villains immediately turns violent as the Joker shows his disapproval for Lex’s proposed collaboration with the Batman Who Laughs by leaping upon Luthor’s desk, wildly brandishing a blade in each hand. The fact that even the Joker sees this sinister spectre from an alternate dimension as too evil should send up a massive red flag, but Lex sees things from a completely different perspective. Where the Joker sees the Batman Who Laughs as “a wrong thing” and goes on to say the other worldly figure will “ruin the whole game”, Lex views him as an endlessly useful accomplice with information and skills unlike any offered by mundane miscreants and run of the mill rogues. The cracks that this creates in the Legion’s foundation threaten to topple the evil empire before it really begins.
Despite the turmoil in leadership we see that the Legion’s rank and file is still growing with the appearance of several new members including The Riddler, Soloman Grundy, Giganta and the Scarecrow and several others joining Sinestro, Gorilla Grodd and Cheetah, however as a result of events in the Drowned Earth story Black Manta otherwise occupied prompting Grodd to call for a replacement. While these are some pretty big name additions to the Legion of Doom’s roster, they pale compared to the name of villain on the final page reveal. In the interest of keeping this review as spoiler-free as possible I will just say this is about as big and bad as they come, don’t believe me? ask Superman. With the addition of this heavy hitter and Luthor now having possession of the Totality it is safe to say things are about to get a whole lot worse for the Justice League.
Scott Snyder has ushered in a golden age of the Justice League, going back as far as the Metal event, through No Justice and into the current iteration of the Justice League proper. What he has done, along with writer James Tynion IV for this title is to place it in the upper echelon of titles at DC. The Justice League by its very nature should be the flagship title, however it has very often been treated as a second tier, or worse, team up book handled by less than top-notch talent. I’m not pointing fingers at anyone’s run on the title, I am just voicing my complete adulation over the direction Snyder and Tynion have taken this book in. This issue is written by James Tynion IV and where Snyder can be complicated in a very continuity heavy way, like Grant Morrison, Tynion IV is more accessible and that comes across in this issue’s narrative. Tynion does a fantastic job of stoking the fire raging between Joker and Luthor, The tension is palpable in the opening sequence featuring the two iconic villains. The dialogue is so precisely crafted each word measured for optimum effect. There is this sense of urgency like a powder keg is about to explode, but you don’t want to turn away for fear of missing just one line of these poisonously poetic parables being bandied about by these Baudelairean bad guys.
For as long as there has been a DC Universe, it has been held that Lex Luthor is the smartest character in said universe boasting an IQ as massive as his ego. Well it looks like there is a contender to that intellectual throne and that contender is none other than the Harlequin of Horrors Himself, The Joker. Yes that’s right the killer in clown make-up out smarts Lex Luthor in this issue and Tynion writes the heck out of it. The word play in this issue is brilliant, Tynion IV proves himself to be rightfully mentioned along with big names like Snyder, Bendis, and Johns. These are the writers at DC who along with a few others like Orlando, Hill and Abnett are telling great stories that are relevant, urgent and insightful while being entertaining as hell. These are the writers that keep comic books fun without de-clawing the narratives, they have something important to say and unique voices with which to say it and James Tynion IV has earned a spot on that roster of remarkable writers.
Visually Guillem March is as impressive as ever on this issue. His Joker is straight out of our darkest nightmares, all twisted smiles and jagged teeth. This is the Joker that smashed Jason Todd’s brains out. This is the image of the Joker I see when I close my eyes and he makes my blood run cold. March gets more by showing us less, he is so smart about his use of shadows, he adds a heightened element of horror by keeping the Joker’s usually piercing eyes in deep shadow. In fact, March dials up the creepy factor on each of the villains appearing in this issue, giving the Batman Who Laughs an especially terror tinged turn. The entire issue has the feel of a Hammer horror film in the Gothic staging of the scenes as well as the almost gargoyle-like poses often struck by the Joker throughout the issue. Arif Prianto’s use of earthy tones while keeping the overall pallet vibrant brings a kind of vibrancy to the issue that works so well given the darker thematic tone of Tynion’s narrative.
This issue is so much more than the sum of its individual parts, while each scene is spectacular in and of itself as a complete work this issue succeeds beyond that. The confrontation between Lex and the Joker is intense, but  it’s what is beneath that and the elements at work just out of sight that defines and enhances every panel of this issue and raises the stakes into the stratosphere, Under Scott Snyder’s inspired vision and the brilliant collaborative effort of James Tynion IV the Justice League has become what it always should be, one of the best comic books to hit the racks on any given Wednesday. 5/5
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
Writer- James Tynion IV
Artist- Guillem March
Colors- Arif Prianto
Letters- Tom Napolitano
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