REVIEW: Justice League #66

I truly have to give it to creative over here : Bendis’ decision to let go of whoever was handling pencils in the beginning of his Justice League run and handing the reigns over to Hester is like music to my ears: the synthesia version. From the start of roll call of issue 66, there already is a little bit of an idea of what I will be getting into with once more Hippolyta having a seat on the team with no Nubia to be found. Still I was surprised (though I should not have been given Bendis’ history of creating lovable characters) to see Naomi in such a grandstanding role that actually befit her, as she carries on the next generation of characters that will be more prominent in the DC Universe after Infinite Frontier eventually becomes settled.

Placing Alan Moore as one of the greatest to ever utilize ink and transform it into the written word, I was happy to see the story not only focused on Constantine in the first half but also in Ram V’s backup : which was mind bending and featured dizzying panels with a reverse Benjamin Button situation occurring in the very pages.

Batman looked completely out of place there, but that’s to be expected when dealing with a character who has a hard time recognizing magick as a science. Now the expectations that I have drummed up for the return of Christopher Reeves (at least his visage) on panel with the upcoming Superman ’78 mini-series was all the Blue Boy Scout I needed in a book that barely even featured him; save for the closing shot where Supes exudes one of his greatest powers : posturing. Now as a Superman devotee I would have loved to see more of him in the book, but I understand this is not Action Comics. And by following the storyline of Action Comics, as opposed to being a monthly reader of Justice League, I’m glad to see that Bendis is recognizing the limitations that have been beset on Clark as he is currently in the process of passing down his mantle to his progeny.

Furthermore, I’m not too big on Green Arrow & Black Canary (despite the fact that they have possibly one of the longest running romantic relationships in Comics Code history), but to see that the storyline of the new Checkmate saga along with the Action story is being continued within these pages, truly shows both the professionalism and reach of Bendis as he respects other writers concurrent tales, as opposed to just telling his own story, falling victim to the stereotype of most comic book writers by creating a convoluted timeline that is just completely unnecessary.

The credit is not all for Bendis though in this 66th issue for a title that’s been around this block a number of times. Going back to Ram V in his Justice League Dark tale, V weaves a story (that although is confusing for non-monthly readers that have not been following the title like myself) that looks like it should have belonged in the pages of Vertigo during the height of their success in the early 90s. Though Hester’s art on the A-side looks like it belongs on the walls of Aztecian sacrificial altars, Kumar’s work on the B-side is nothing to sneeze at, and looks like it belongs in temples erected to pay homage to deities in Eastern Asia. Both of these gentlemen put their best foot forward and let their respective creeds breathe life into these modern day mythos through the way they are depicted by their pencils as an extension of their respective bloodlines; adding on to the rich history that a title like “Justice League” can only carry the torch for with modern day folk tales and fables.

Still, the fact that this issue is not as inviting to new readers as it expects one to have knowledge of the current storyline (which I have been ducking) to pick it up, as well as being attached to an unflattering cover of the Hall of Justice does not entice me to continue with Bendis’ run, though I am encouraged to peek in periodically every now and again for a periodical like this.

SCORE: 2/5

#CVReview

written by Brian Michael Bendis AND Ram V

art by Phil Hester, Sumit Kumar, and David Marquez