The Revolution has thoroughly enjoyed Brad Meltzer’s run on the Justice League of America. So, I am definitely sad to see Meltzer leaving this title. Justice League of America #12 appears to be one of those introspective and slow filler issues. Meltzer is basically wasting some time before he hands this franchise over to Dwayne McDuffie. Hopefully, we will get a nice read out of Meltzer as he leaves this title. Let’s go ahead and hit this review.
Creative Team
Writer: Brad Meltzer
Pencilers: Ed Benes & Eric Wright
Inker: Sandra Hope
Art Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Synopsis: We begin with a flashback scene to Aquaman and Martian Manhunter meeting at Mercy Reef to discuss the new JLA and Hal Jordan meeting with Barry Allen at the Flash Museum in Central City to discuss the new JLA. They talk about how like any large group they quickly subdivided not just cliques but friendships. That the League was not just a group, it was something alive that had to be nurtured.
We cut to Red Tornado finishing a virus scan on his internal CPU. Kathy complains how mechanical John has been acting lately. That John is always wearing his Red Tornado costume and mask. Kathy doesn’t want John to leave since her mother is coming to visit in a couple of minutes. John says it is a League emergency and leaves without a kiss or a goodbye.
Red Tornado teleports to the Hall. Red Tornado relieves Vixen from Monitor Duty. Evidently, Faust made a threat to take out the U.N. Building and the JLA is monitoring the U.N. Building around the clock.
We see two shadowy people talking about the Red Tornado. One of the people says that Reddy is hardening. The other counters that Reddy is just mending from what he lost. That he is healing. The other says that Red Tornado may have someone new inside. For all they know Amazo may still have a toehold in Reddy.
We cut to Hawkgirl relieving Red Tornado of Monitor Duty. Red Tornado tells Hawkgirl he will be in the lab. Hawkgirl mentions to Reddy for him to say hi to his daughter for her. Red Tornado comments how Hawkgirl had a young daughter who died. That he read it in the databanks. Reddy apologizes if the memory is painful and then walks off.
Hawkgirl sifts through the database and discovers that Roy has a daughter of his own. We see the two shadowy figures discussing Hawkgirl. One of them comments that Hawkgirl has death wish that was evident in how she nearly broke her spine trying to save Roy during a training session. The other person disagrees that she has a death wish. That that is just what someone does when they are in love.
We shift to Roy teleporting into the Hall along with his little daughter, Lian, who is wearing a Silver Age Speedy costume. Red Arrow takes over Monitor Duty while Hawkgirl takes Lian to the kitchen for a snack.
We see the two shadowy figures discussing Roy. One comments how he is cocky and that he is flourishing with Hal. The other says that Roy is going to end up getting hurt by getting involved with a woman like Hawkgirl.
We cut to Black Canary having taken over Monitor Duty. Hawkgirl enters and asks Dinah if she has seen Roy. Black Canary that Roy took Lian home. Black Canary then tells Kendra to not hurt Roy. Kendra calls Black Canary over-protective and over-reactive and that Black Canary’s boy is tougher than she thinks. Black Canary responds “So am I. And he’s still my boy. Don’t hurt him.”
We see the two shadowy figures discussing Black Canary. One says she is stronger and more confident without Ollie. The other agrees and says that being Chairperson has let her finally show the world her true potential.
We cut to Jefferson Pierce in a sharp looking suit taking over Monitor duty. Jeff is talking with the Silver Ghost who is one of Jeff’s criminal informants. Jeff is pumping Silver Ghost for any information about Faust. Ghost doesn’t know anything, but reminds Jeff to tell Lex that Ghost gave Jeff information about Trident. Jeff assures Silver Ghost that Jeff will tell Lex personally.
The two shadowy figures talk about Black Lightning. One of the figures says that Jeff is smart to use his time as part of Lex’s administration to earn the trust of criminal informants. The other figure retorts that Lex Luthor knows what Jeff is doing. The other figure says he isn’t too sure since Lex hasn’t done anything. The other figure retorts that Lex Luthor is Lex Luthor because he already knows. The scary part is that what is Lex planning that is taking so long to hit back at Jeff?
We shift to Vixen at Monitor duty. Vixen attempts to tap into her animal powers to mimic the power of an ant crawling across the monitor board. Her power doesn’t work. Geo-Force enters to relieve Vixen. Vixen tells Geo-Force that she knows he is having troubles with his powers and that his sister Terra’s powers are creeping into him. Vixen said she just wanted to talk to someone who knows what she is going through. Vixen confesses that she has lost her animal powers and is now leeching off metahumans for her powers.
The two shadowy figures talk about how Vixen’s powers have only been limited by herself and that she will eventually learn that. They also say that it is a problem that Geo-Force is so quiet. That the League’s history shows that their greatest challenges always come from the secrets that they keep.
We then cut to Red Tornado going to Roy’s room in the Hall and walking in on Kendra and Roy having S-E-X.
We then shift to the Silver Ghost calling Lex Luthor’s attorney and informing him that once again Jefferson Pierce bought some information using Lex’s name and proved that Jeff is a lying sack of garbage.
We hop over to Geo-Force meeting with Deathstroke the Terminator in a dark alley. Geo-Force tells Deathstroke that he knows Deathstroke did this to him. Deathstroke retorts that Geo-Force then knows what to do to get it undone. Deathstroke gets what he wants and Geo-Force gets what he wants.
We see Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman watching the conversation between Deathstroke and Geo-Force on the Monitor screen. Superman says he can be there in an instant and capture Deathstroke. Batman says no. The more Deathstroke thinks he is learning about the League, the more they can learn about Deathstroke.
The two shadowy figures talk about how nice it is that the big three are back with the JLA. And that there is no bickering, infighting, sniping or fear.
We cut to Green Lantern on Monitor Duty. We see Hal and Wally West looking at Barry Allen’s Flash ring. Wally smiles and says how he loves hearing the stories from Hal about Barry.
We see the two shadowy figures watching Hal and Wally. One of them says that Hal is the last of the true originals at the tree when the League started. That Clark, Diana and Bruce are different. That Hal is the real legacy. The final one. The other figure retorts “At least until we come back.” That one day the JLA will need the two of them.
We finally see who the two shadowy figures are. It is Martian Manhunter and none other than the real Aquaman!! J’onn tells Aquaman that eventually the League will need them. It is the beauty of what they created. For all its changes, the League never really changes.
We see the alert alarm go off as Faust has begun his attack. Hal and Wally alert all the other members of the League. We see the entire League assembled and on their way to kick Faust’s ass. End of issue.
Comments
The Good: Justice League of America #12 was another good read. Meltzer delivers a nicely written filler issue before saying goodbye to this title. This issue is not a fast issue by any means. However, the slower measured pace of this issue provides the reader an opportunity to catch their breath and lends well to the introspective nature of this story. Meltzer manages to briefly touch on the various themes for each member that he nurtured during his run on this title. This technique made this issue a nice way to put a bow on Meltzer’s run on the Justice League of America.
Meltzer provides for plenty of his usual nicely crafted dialogue. Each character is well developed and has their own defined external voice. The strong character work that Meltzer has given us lends to some fantastic chemistry between the various JLA members.
I love what Meltzer has done with Red Tornado during his run on this title. Poor Reddy definitely has been through a lot, but his character has been evolved and examined more than I can ever remember before. After seeing Reddy so desperately try and become a real human being, it is sad to watch Reddy slowly strip away his emotions and embrace the machine inside of him.
Aquaman and Martian Manhunter bring up an interesting debate concerning Reddy’s new attitude since Amazo took over his body. Is this just a wounded Red Tornado going into a shell in an attempt to heal himself and adjust to being a machine again? Or is there something more sinister brewing inside of Red Tornado? Could Amazo still be inside of Reddy somewhere? This definitely will make for an interesting story at some future date.
The scene with Kendra and Dinah was fantastic. I really dig what Meltzer has done with Black Canary during his run. I love her assuming the role of Chairperson of the JLA. Dinah has become such a stronger, more confident and interesting character. I like Dinah on the JLA without Ollie being on the team. She really does shine brighter without Ollie around.
This scene also shows that Black Canary is one serious bad-ass that you don’t want to mess with. I liked how Dinah played the role of the concerned and protective “mother” of Roy. It was a touching scene to see the love Dinah has for Roy and it was also cool to see Dinah totally calling out Kendra and basically telling Kendra that Black Canary will beat Kendra’s ass if she hurts Roy.
Meltzer has been building some lustful feeling between Kendra and Roy during his entire run on the JLA. And we finally see those urges acted on when we see Kendra and Roy doing the nasty. You knew this was going to happen at some point. And you know that it is going to end terribly. Hawkgirl is destined to be with Hawkman. Roy better not fall in love or else he is headed for some serious heartbreak. But, the upside to that is maybe then we will get to see Black Canary slap the spit out of Hawkgirl. That would rock.
I dig the plotline involving Jefferson Pierce and Lex Luthor. Clearly, Jeff is going to be in some big trouble once Lex Luthor decides to exact his revenge for Jeff trading on Lex’s name. It is strange that Lex has let it go on for as long as it has. That can only mean that Lex must be plotting something incredibly nasty. This is another interesting plotline that should be fun to watch unfold in the future.
I liked the scene between Vixen and Geo-Force. We learn that the only limit on Vixen’s powers are the ones that she places on herself. Evidently, Vixen is going to experience a power boost at some point in the future.
And what is the deal with Geo-Force? His powers have gone crazy. Terra’s powers are beginning to surface within him. And now we learn that Deathstroke is the man behind Geo-Force’s current problems. Given Deathstroke’s long history with Terra could we be witnessing the return of the Terra at some point? I definitely dig this plotline and am curious to see what happens next.
I really enjoyed the scene with Hal telling Wally stories about Barry. That was a nice touch to mention Barry since he is the greatest Flash ever. And it is cool to see how Barry provides a strong bond between an established hero like Hal Jordan and a young next generation hero like Wally West.
And I like how Meltzer points out how Hal Jordan is really the last of the true originals. That Hal is the final legacy. I never really thought about this, but Meltzer is right. Clark, Bruce and Diana don’t count. Hal definitely assumes a more important role within the League than he ever has before.
And talk about a great ending! Is that the real Aquaman with Martian Manhunter? Oh my god, I believe so! Yes! The two talk like they are old friends and this Aquaman has knowledge of the JLA that the faux Aquaman wouldn’t have. I gave the One Year Later Aquaman story a try and quickly dropped it after four issues. I couldn’t stomach the faux Aquaman that DC was pushing off on us.
I was still under the impression that the real Aquaman was still a squid-faced hermit. Evidently, the real Aquaman is still out there in his normal human form. Maybe this is a spoiler that the real Aquaman is going to make his triumphant return. I can only hope so. The faux Aquaman sucked horribly. Maybe this ties in with the line written on Rip Hunter’s chalkboard over in Booster Gold #1 that says “Long live the real king.”
Meltzer does a nice job capturing the essence of the League. The friendships that are forged and the beliefs of justice and heroism that makes the League so special. It was a cool move for Meltzer to point out that the League’s history shows that their greatest challenges always come from the secrets that they keep. That is after we have read an issue where all the major plotlines going on at the moment all stem from secrets that certain Leaguers are keeping from everyone else. Vixen and her power problems. Jeff and his work with criminal informants. Red Tornado and the internal conflict quietly raging inside of him.
Benes and Hope combine to deliver more of their usual excellent artwork. I dig their style of art and I think they provide for a dynamic and detailed looking comic book.
The Bad: Justice League of America #12 is a low-keyed issue. And there are no action scenes in this issue. And there is tons of dialogue. This issue will certainly not appeal to readers who prefer less talking, faster pacing and at least a little bit of action.
Overall: Justice League of America #12 was a proper ending to Meltzer’s fantastic run on this title. Meltzer reviews all the other various plotlines that he has created during his run and outlines for the reader various plotlines that will be addressed at some point in the future. Meltzer does a great job setting the table and leaving the cupboard full of great plotlines for incoming writer McDuffie to play with. Some writers blow up a title after their run is over and leave the incoming writer with a mess. Meltzer definitely does McDuffie a huge favor by making sure that there are plenty of great storylines in place for McDuffie to flesh out.
4 thoughts on “Justice League of America #12 Review”
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I haven’t been a fan of Meltzer’s run on this title (which should be obvious from previous comments); first and foremost, I think he commits the cardinal sin of telling rather than showing. Every issue features every character telling us why every other character is the best there is, whereas there hasn’t been a single villain in sight for the past six issues (eight, if you count the two parts of the JSA’s story) (aside from those three guys who appeared for no reason in the middle of the Lightning Saga). If these guys are the world’s greatest heroes, show that; so far, all they ever seem to do is congratulate each other on being so awesome (and occasionally mention doing actual hero-stuff off-panel).
So, after more or less wasting thirteen issues of people talking about nothing (the first arc was pretty decent, although overlong, and featuring that dead-end subplot where Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman sit around looking at photos), he introduces a bunch of plots in the final frames of his run, for the next guy to deal with.
I enjoyed Meltzer’s run on Justice League, although it was very light on the action. I really see his run as building up and fleshing out the team and its members for future use–sowing the seeds, per se.
This is a Justice League which contains members from every major superhero team in the DC Universe: Geo-Force and Black Lightning from The Outsiders, Red Arrow from the Titans, Hawkgirl from the Justice Society, and the remaining heroes from various incarnations of the Justice League. It only makes sense that Meltzer has to spend a lot of time establishing the dynamic that makes this team click. Other writers can play around with it from there.
I’m actually a fan of the Roy/Kendra pairing, because I always thought the Hawkgirl/Hawkman destiny thing was way too limiting for those characters. I’ve never been a fan of destined relationships, because then you take away the need to make the relationship click. You don’t need chemistry–they’re destined for each other. So I hope that writers do the gutsy thing and break up the Hawkgirl/Hawkman thing–at least, for now.
I agree that there is too much talk in Meltzer’s run though. I’ve always thought writers like Meltzer and Bendis are too in love with their own dialogue to keep in mind that action is the other half of a successful comic book.
That being said, I still think Meltzer planted a huge well of potential into Justice League, which can hopefully be used successfully by future writers.
Comparing Bendis and Meltzer on the dialogue front, Bendis favours fairly light, Buffy the Vampire Slayer conversations that are fairly short as individual sentences, but repeated a lot; Meltzer tries to imbue every sentence with “deep significance”; so, Bendis would write a fight scene with the characters blathering on about Nintendo or whatever, and Meltzer would write a scene where a character talks about how getting punched in the face signifies something deep or meaningful or reminds him of something about another character, etc.
As a sidenote, Alex Ross came out of his timewarp and drew the JLA in a modern lineup, costumes and everything! (okay, he got Wonder Woman’s costume wrong, but we’re getting there!)
islandliberal:
Haha, my thoughts exactly on the Bendis/Meltzer front. Reading New Avengers and Mighty Avengers, I’m always torn between delight and exasperation by all the random little quips Bendis adds into his dialogue. When he’s playing around with more than two characters, sometimes the conversations turn into a hot mess.
I think it’s the novelist in Meltzer that makes him use such heady dialogue–always wants to add a subtle plot foreshadowing or fine detail. He’s the only writer I know who was able to use the phrase “sweet onion breath” in a comic book.