Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Justice League #4

By Hervé St-Louis
December 28, 2011 - 14:29

Aquaman shows the rest of the future Justice League that he means business and although his most remarkable power is to talk to fishes, it can be quite useful. But Darkseid is tired of standing by the sides and shows up to throw every one off. Will he succeed in invading Earth?

By rewriting the origin on the Justice League, Johns gets to simplify some of the most obscure part of the team while using some of the most contemporary and popular elements of the DC Comics universe to jazz up the franchise. Here, the Appelaxians, the aliens from planet Appelax have been replaced with Darkseid as the challenge that brings in the Justice League together. As a challenge, Darkseid is probably more interesting and similar to how Loki is responsible for the Avengers joining up.  What’s interesting is that it makes the Justice League feels closer to the Superfriends Super Powers show from the 1980s. Cyborg was also a member of that team.

I really like the banter between Aquaman and Green Lantern. As the writer of both characters, Johns is probably best suited to play one against the other. Aquaman actually came out quite well in that story and his confidence even seemed to catch Batman off guard. One thing I do miss is having Superman take natural leadership of the team. Here, he seems more like a big silent giant that can kick ass instead of an inspiring figure. I also like how Flash is the one trying to keep the peace and to control Green Lantern.  The origin of Cyborg’s powers makes sense and incorporates current technological paradigms. His nanotech allows him to swallow information on different types of operating system including Darkseid’s technology. If Darkseid is gonna be introduced as the greatest challenge of the League, I hope that some of his supporting cast, from the New Gods are also introduced. The New Gods have the potential to be a real mirror image of Apocalypse for the good guys, but often their contribution is reduced. This issue is good and increases the tension that will lead to the big fight next month. I can’t complain. It’s all good stuff.

Jim Lee’s work is good and solid as usual.  I did find that his sharks were exaggerated and big, as if he was trying to improve on Aquaman’s image. I bet we don’t get to see any giant purple squid helping Aquaman anymore! The panels in this comic book are packed with tons of information, perhaps too much at time. But then again, that’s what Jim Lee does and complaining about his signature style is useless. Just having him work on a comic book is always an event anyway. Time Warner Inc. the parent company of DC Comics supports the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).

Rating: 9 /10

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12