Written by Scott Snyder; James Tynion IV; & Joshua Williamson.
Art by Francis Manapul; Marcus To; Riley Rossmo; & Jorge Jimenez; Hi-Fi; Alejandro Sanchez; and Andworld Design.
Cover Art by Francis Manapul.
SUMMARY:
Released in 2018 by DC Comics, this 144-page collection presents Justice League: No Justice # 1-4 and its prelude from DC Nation # 0 from earlier that year. As both Earth and Brainiac’s home world, Colu, are threatened by four cosmic entities, a contingent of DC’s heroes & villains form a resistance under Brainiac’s command.
Once Brainiac is seemingly destroyed, separate squads emerge: Mystery (Superman; Starro; Sinestro; Martian Manhunter; and Starfire); Entropy (Batman; Lex Luthor; Beast Boy; Deathstroke; and Lobo); Wisdom (Harley Quinn; Flash; Cyborg; Damian Wayne’s Robin; and the Atom); and Wonder (Wonder Woman; Zatanna Zatara; Etrigan the Demon; Raven; and Doctor Fate). Each team investigates a cosmic tree linked to one of these entities. Yet, they must coordinate their efforts to save Earth and Colu.
With Earth mostly undefended, Amanda Waller takes drastic action that Green Arrow & Supergirl may regret. Green Lantern Hal Jordan and four other Lanterns must answer Green Arrow’s mayday call for Earth’s last stand. Ultimately, a new status quo is established re: the immediate future for DC’s major super-teams.
REVIEW:
Justice League: Too Far Out of Its League, unfortunately, is a more apt title for one of DC’s worst-ever mega-events.
All too ironically, the actual title foretells what readers get in return for buying this kid-friendly dreck. Is this muddled, would-be epic remotely comprehensible? The answer is emphatically ‘no,’ as there’s virtually zero depth and logic in motion. A few bits and pieces are conveyed (i.e. Batman’s repeated paternal scoldings of Damian Wayne’s Robin; Lex Luthor’s untrustworthiness; the gradual building of team chemistry among these four squads), but far too little else happens.
Worsening this book’s ultra-contrived storytelling is lukewarm sludge posing as artwork. Clearly, half-hearted visuals won’t disguise the New Age-inspired cosmic nonsense that the writing team is incoherently peddling. In retrospect, an awe-inspiring, galactic team-up of heroes & villains under Brainiac’s command might have had some intriguing potential as a premise. The caveat being that an inspired lead writer needs to take command and make the storyline work.
The weakly-executed Justice League: No Justice, however, isn’t the answer, as its creative team is asleep at the wheel throughout this Crisis wanna-be. For all the plot’s exploration of ‘cosmic trees,’ all hapless readers come away with is eye-rolling sap.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
Full-page color covers are included. There’s a five-page color sketchbook from artist Francis Manapul that includes some of this project’s imagery and team portraits.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 2½ Stars
