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Justice League (2011)
Justice League, Volume 2: The Villain's Journey
A NEW YORK TIMES #1 BESTSELLER
The Justice League is the greatest force for good the world has ever seen. But not everyone sees them that way.
Their never-ending battle against evil results in casualties beyond its super-powered, costumed combatants. The League’s attempts to safeguard innocent lives cannot save everybody. Unbeknownst to Earth’s greatest champions, their greatest triumph may contain the seeds of their greatest defeat.
For heroes are not the only people who face tragedy and are reborn as something greater than they were before. Villains can take this journey, too.
And once they start out on this dark path, the road could lead straight to the destruction of the Justice League….
The New York Times bestselling team of Geoff Johns (Green Lantern) and Jim Lee (Batman: Hush) are joined by artists Gene Ha (Top 10) and Carlos D'Anda (Deathblow) for JUSTICE LEAGUE VOL. 2: THE VILLAIN'S JOURNEY. Can the world’s greatest super heroes survive a voyage deep into the heart of darkness? It all ends with one of the most shocking … and surprising moments in DC history!
Collecting: Justice League #7-12.
The Justice League is the greatest force for good the world has ever seen. But not everyone sees them that way.
Their never-ending battle against evil results in casualties beyond its super-powered, costumed combatants. The League’s attempts to safeguard innocent lives cannot save everybody. Unbeknownst to Earth’s greatest champions, their greatest triumph may contain the seeds of their greatest defeat.
For heroes are not the only people who face tragedy and are reborn as something greater than they were before. Villains can take this journey, too.
And once they start out on this dark path, the road could lead straight to the destruction of the Justice League….
The New York Times bestselling team of Geoff Johns (Green Lantern) and Jim Lee (Batman: Hush) are joined by artists Gene Ha (Top 10) and Carlos D'Anda (Deathblow) for JUSTICE LEAGUE VOL. 2: THE VILLAIN'S JOURNEY. Can the world’s greatest super heroes survive a voyage deep into the heart of darkness? It all ends with one of the most shocking … and surprising moments in DC history!
Collecting: Justice League #7-12.
176 pages, Hardcover
First published February 5, 2013
About the author
Geoff Johns
2,613 books2,336 followersGeoff Johns originally hails from Detroit, Michigan. He attended Michigan State University, where he earned a degree in Media Arts and Film. He moved to Los Angeles in the late 1990s in search of work within the film industry. Through perseverance, Geoff ended up as the assistant to Richard Donner, working on Conspiracy Theory and Lethal Weapon 4. During that time, he also began his comics career writing Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. and JSA (co-written with David S. Goyer) for DC Comics. He worked with Richard Donner for four years, leaving the company to pursue writing full-time.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
His first comics assignments led to a critically acclaimed five-year run on the The Flash. Since then, he has quickly become one of the most popular and prolific comics writers today, working on such titles including a highly successful re-imagining of Green Lantern, Action Comics (co-written with Richard Donner), Teen Titans, Justice Society of America, Infinite Crisis and the experimental breakout hit series 52 for DC with Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. Geoff received the Wizard Fan Award for Breakout Talent of 2002 and Writer of the Year for 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 as well as the CBG Writer of the Year 2003 thru 2005, 2007 and CBG Best Comic Book Series for JSA 2001 thru 2005. Geoff also developed BLADE: THE SERIES with David S. Goyer, as well as penned the acclaimed “Legion” episode of SMALLVILLE. He also served as staff writer for the fourth season of ROBOT CHICKEN.
Geoff recently became a New York Times Bestselling author with the graphic novel Superman: Brainiac with art by Gary Frank.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 412 reviews
August 21, 2022
(B+) 77% | Good
Notes: Wherein the Justice League are the cool kids at school, the most exclusive clique: objects of worship, blame and envy.
Notes: Wherein the Justice League are the cool kids at school, the most exclusive clique: objects of worship, blame and envy.
August 28, 2016
A transition book
I got this on its single issues but I am doing the review on the TPB option to make it an easier overall review of the whole book.
Creative Team:
Writer: Geoff Johns
Illustrators: Jim Lee, Ivan Reis, Gene Ha, Carlos D'Anda
CALLING REINFORCEMENTS
While this TPB announces prominently The Villain's Journey and without a doubt it's the main story arc covering four issues, this TPB also contains a couple of issues featuring some different stories.
Jim Lee is still doing all the covers, he did only the art on The Villain's Journey arc, while on the other two issues the inside art is managed by other artists like Gene Ha (famous for his great work on Top Ten), Carlos D'Anda and Ivan Reis (Green Lantern, Vol. 4).
The stories on this TPB show a "jump" in time with the Justice League team, since it's clear that some time passed since on the previous issue (#6) they were barely presented to the public as a team, and now they have their own orbital headquarters and operating alongside with an US government sanctioned unit known as A.R.G.U.S. lead by Steve Trevor.
A JUSTICE LEAGUE ISN'T CHEAP
It's interesting how operations works with this New 52's Justice League...
...since previously (in the good ol' days before the New52) they were a team financed heavily by Wayne Enterprises (secretly, of course... don't tell a soul!) and with the benefit of alien technologies like Kryptonian, Thanagarian, Martian, and on.
However, this New 52's Justice League is receiving supplies by the United Nations, that I think it's a brilliant move since it was amazing how nobody questioned before how the heck the Justice League was able to finance itself that may lead to expose secrets from the team.
Of course, while they are financed by the UN, they hardly take orders from them. Steve Trevor is working as the liaison officer with the Justice League and he does his best to communicate the wishes of the US government and the UN organization.
A SNAPPISH JOURNEY
Green Arrow wants to be part of the Justice League, but the founding members are unwilling to add him to their team since something really bad happened when they accepted The Martian Manhunter (another example of the "time jump" in this volume of comic books).
On the main story arc, The Villain's Journey, is introduced a mysterious new villain named David Graves, a novelist, who plans to get a revenge on this so-called "Justice League" since he thinks that they failed on their roles of "heroes".
During the development of the story, there are moments leaving clear that the public opinion is quite mixed but kinda balanced to the negative side about the Justice League since public really knows very little about them and they are still unwilling to accept new members to the team, and also being video-taped during an inner discussion that lead to violence isn't helping neither.
The confrontation with Graves put into light some intriguing pieces of information about this "new" Justice League of the New 52, in special about Cyborg.
Also it leads to the confirmation that the US government accepts that it needs the Justice League BUT hardly it trusts the team, and now it wants to know how to defeat them if necessary and also to form an US government controlled version of a Justice League.
And of course, this TPB ends with a very impacting kiss that covers the news of the real world.
I got this on its single issues but I am doing the review on the TPB option to make it an easier overall review of the whole book.
Creative Team:
Writer: Geoff Johns
Illustrators: Jim Lee, Ivan Reis, Gene Ha, Carlos D'Anda
CALLING REINFORCEMENTS
While this TPB announces prominently The Villain's Journey and without a doubt it's the main story arc covering four issues, this TPB also contains a couple of issues featuring some different stories.
Jim Lee is still doing all the covers, he did only the art on The Villain's Journey arc, while on the other two issues the inside art is managed by other artists like Gene Ha (famous for his great work on Top Ten), Carlos D'Anda and Ivan Reis (Green Lantern, Vol. 4).
The stories on this TPB show a "jump" in time with the Justice League team, since it's clear that some time passed since on the previous issue (#6) they were barely presented to the public as a team, and now they have their own orbital headquarters and operating alongside with an US government sanctioned unit known as A.R.G.U.S. lead by Steve Trevor.
A JUSTICE LEAGUE ISN'T CHEAP
It's interesting how operations works with this New 52's Justice League...
...since previously (in the good ol' days before the New52) they were a team financed heavily by Wayne Enterprises (secretly, of course... don't tell a soul!) and with the benefit of alien technologies like Kryptonian, Thanagarian, Martian, and on.
However, this New 52's Justice League is receiving supplies by the United Nations, that I think it's a brilliant move since it was amazing how nobody questioned before how the heck the Justice League was able to finance itself that may lead to expose secrets from the team.
Of course, while they are financed by the UN, they hardly take orders from them. Steve Trevor is working as the liaison officer with the Justice League and he does his best to communicate the wishes of the US government and the UN organization.
A SNAPPISH JOURNEY
Green Arrow wants to be part of the Justice League, but the founding members are unwilling to add him to their team since something really bad happened when they accepted The Martian Manhunter (another example of the "time jump" in this volume of comic books).
On the main story arc, The Villain's Journey, is introduced a mysterious new villain named David Graves, a novelist, who plans to get a revenge on this so-called "Justice League" since he thinks that they failed on their roles of "heroes".
During the development of the story, there are moments leaving clear that the public opinion is quite mixed but kinda balanced to the negative side about the Justice League since public really knows very little about them and they are still unwilling to accept new members to the team, and also being video-taped during an inner discussion that lead to violence isn't helping neither.
The confrontation with Graves put into light some intriguing pieces of information about this "new" Justice League of the New 52, in special about Cyborg.
Also it leads to the confirmation that the US government accepts that it needs the Justice League BUT hardly it trusts the team, and now it wants to know how to defeat them if necessary and also to form an US government controlled version of a Justice League.
And of course, this TPB ends with a very impacting kiss that covers the news of the real world.
April 28, 2013
I've got a couple of good friends here on Goodreads who are going to totally disagree with this review.
sigh
I reallyreallyreally liked The Villain's Journey.
Was it perfection? No.
But it was flashy and fun.
However, I do understand where some of the complaints are coming from with the 5 year jump. I want to know what happened in those missing years, too!
And was Green Arrow a whiny douche? Yes, yes he was.
Overall, I felt like the good (read: splashy fun-filled superhero stuff) made up for the things that were lacking.
Ok. maybe I thought it was so good because I had just finished a crappy paranormal YA romance right before turning my attention to the Justice League. It's possible that it tainted my mind and made even The Very Hungry Caterpillar seem like loads of fun to read.
Whatever the reason, I loved it.
Recommended!
sigh
I reallyreallyreally liked The Villain's Journey.
Was it perfection? No.
But it was flashy and fun.
However, I do understand where some of the complaints are coming from with the 5 year jump. I want to know what happened in those missing years, too!
And was Green Arrow a whiny douche? Yes, yes he was.
Overall, I felt like the good (read: splashy fun-filled superhero stuff) made up for the things that were lacking.
Ok. maybe I thought it was so good because I had just finished a crappy paranormal YA romance right before turning my attention to the Justice League. It's possible that it tainted my mind and made even The Very Hungry Caterpillar seem like loads of fun to read.
Whatever the reason, I loved it.
Recommended!
February 8, 2013
“STAAAY!” “AWWAAY!” “STAYAWAAYY!” screech the toothy horrors that burst off of the first page of the second Justice League book. It serves as a not-so-subtle warning to potential readers that this volume of Justice League is pretty diabolical and might best be avoided. As a fan of the first book, I was surprised to see how low the quality of writing had dipped and disappointed that by the second book the magic had all but gone. However, like the JL in the story, I hacked my way through the monsters and delved deeper into “The Villain’s Journey”, a confusing story about nothing.
The villain in question is Mr Graves, a bestselling author of a book about the Justice League with an interest in the supernatural. After he and his family are saved from Darkseid and his minions by the JL (see the first volume), his family become sick from exposure to Darkseid’s omega energy and die. Warped with sickness and grief he seeks out an unholy power in the uncharted mountains of Asia to reunite him with his loved ones and destroy those who had taken them from him - the Justice League!
This book gets off to a really slow start. The first issue is the prologue to the “Villain’s Journey” and frankly this could’ve been two pages instead of a whole issue, two pages added to the first chapter of the story for all the relevance it has to the arc. The second issue is by far the worst though. This is the Green Arrow crossover that sits awkwardly in between the prologue and first chapter of the main storyline. Green Arrow wants to join the Justice League SO BAD! He follows them everywhere, whining “aw, c’mon guys! Let me join the club!” etc. For an entire issue. He is so annoying and needy! This issue has no point at all either, especially with the splash page at the end where we see the new “New 52” series “Justice League of America” revealed - with Green Arrow kneeling and drawing back his bow. So we find out he wants to join a superhero team and at the end he gets his lame wish. Why...
This story picks up 5 years after the first book. Let me say that again because this is a huge plot point - Volume 1 = 5 years ago, Volume 2 = 5 years later. 5 years! What happened in between? Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor, an army dude, got together then broke it off, and the Justice League have not managed to mesh as a team and still bicker about who the leader is. I don’t understand why Geoff Johns made this decision. In this reboot, technically we’re seeing the characters for the first time but when you fast forward 5 years in between issues, you’re avoiding all of the stuff that you should really be addressing in a reboot. Those are the formative years of these heroes and we’re still not seeing them, even in a reboot designed specifically for this purpose!
And it would really make sense for this book to still be set in the early years of the Justice League’s formation because are we really to believe that after 5 years they still can’t work together as a team - are they truly that ill-suited to teamwork? Then why not disband? But I’m getting ahead of myself...
The problem with skipping over so much time is that everything is told in passing or in flashbacks. So the emotional core of the book is Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor’s relationship but we never saw any of that because it was never written, at least not in the New 52. So we’re told in passing and in a handful of panels sprinkled across the entire book that WW and Steve Trevor had a relationship but WW broke it off for some reason and poor Steve never got over it. Why Steve is even in this book is baffling - why do the JL need a liaison between themselves and the rest of the world? There’s also a tantalising storyline that’s not explored - a splash page of the JL fighting J’onn J’onzz who’s managing to hold his own against the entire team! Uh... I’d like to read that story! That looks fantastic! Martian Manhunter - he was on the team or he wasn’t? Anyway, I’d much prefer to read that than this Mr Graves crap. But no, it’s a 2 page spread and then we’ve moved on. Flashback over, we’re 5 years ahead. Do you care about Steve Trevor now? No? Too bad, we’re 5 years ahead.
Mr Graves as a villain is baffling. He single-handedly discovers an area of Asia where giant Indian Death Gods wander the mountainous landscape that no one’s ever seen before, and somehow inherits from them these magical powers that feed on emotion... or something. Also, he’s one of these villains who looks inhuman - so you know he’s evil - and whose powers kind of swirl around him ethereally so he doesn’t have to do anything, he just stands there and lets the mists or ghosts or whatever they are do their thing while he stands back cackling evilly. That’s always interesting to see a bad guy doing – nothing. And through doing nothing, managing to defeat the most powerful team of beings on the planet.
He not only looks like a stereotypical villain, he does something all idiot villains do: when he has Steve Trevor tied up and on the brink of death, he leaves before witnessing his death! Even though Steve’s death is central to his plan of destroying the JL - “You have to be dead for this to work!” he exclaims in surprise when Steve shows up at the end - he doesn’t make sure he’s dead! It’s shocking how inept a bad guy he is.
His plan to “show the world who the Justice League really are”? Never understood it. How exactly was he going to do this? There was a moment where Wonder Woman, for no real reason, decides to punch Green Lantern and then Superman gets roped in and is kicked by WW, and Graves, somehow, manages to broadcast this scene on every single screen in the world, thus showing the world they’re not a very unified team. But that was it. And that’s not much of a plan in the first place is it? I mean what if WW hadn’t flipped out and they flew calmly off – what then? No big scene and the world continue loving the JL, Graves’ plan is in the crapper. I guess it’s a good thing the script is so obliging.
Also, Graves’ writing cabin? It’s a freakin’ mansion, not a cabin! And why does he need a dedicated cabin/mansion to write anyway? Does he really need so much ritual and pretension to write his crummy books?
There are a lot of moments throughout the book that don’t really make sense but instead feel wholly contrived. Wonder Woman and Superman kissing at the end? When did they have feelings for one another - don’t tell me, in the 5 year gap, right? Because it’s not established anywhere. WW fighting Green Lantern and Superman for no reason, then Aquaman challenging Batman for leadership of the JL at the end, and Green Lantern leaving the Justice League - why are any of these things happening!?! There are no reasons, these are events that just happen. I like Geoff Johns’ writing, I think his first JL book was great and his “Aquaman” and “Batman Year One” books were excellent, but his awful writing in this book is inexcusable.
Believe me, I really wanted to like Volume 2, especially after such an enjoyable first volume, but there was so much wrong with this book from the awful villain, the nonsensical story, the bizarre moments, and the glaring 5 year gap between books, that I couldn’t enjoy it. All of these problems failed to immerse me in the story and instead I found myself dreading turning the page for fear of the next blunder about to emerge. Jim Lee’s art is ok but in no way makes up for Johns’ lacklustre script. I’d heard there was a Shazam backup to the JL comics drawn by Gary Frank that I was looking forward to reading but it’s not included in this hardback - maybe they’re saving it for the next book or as a standalone series? Anyway, “The Villain’s Journey” is a dud - “SSTAAYAWAAAYY!”.
The villain in question is Mr Graves, a bestselling author of a book about the Justice League with an interest in the supernatural. After he and his family are saved from Darkseid and his minions by the JL (see the first volume), his family become sick from exposure to Darkseid’s omega energy and die. Warped with sickness and grief he seeks out an unholy power in the uncharted mountains of Asia to reunite him with his loved ones and destroy those who had taken them from him - the Justice League!
This book gets off to a really slow start. The first issue is the prologue to the “Villain’s Journey” and frankly this could’ve been two pages instead of a whole issue, two pages added to the first chapter of the story for all the relevance it has to the arc. The second issue is by far the worst though. This is the Green Arrow crossover that sits awkwardly in between the prologue and first chapter of the main storyline. Green Arrow wants to join the Justice League SO BAD! He follows them everywhere, whining “aw, c’mon guys! Let me join the club!” etc. For an entire issue. He is so annoying and needy! This issue has no point at all either, especially with the splash page at the end where we see the new “New 52” series “Justice League of America” revealed - with Green Arrow kneeling and drawing back his bow. So we find out he wants to join a superhero team and at the end he gets his lame wish. Why...
This story picks up 5 years after the first book. Let me say that again because this is a huge plot point - Volume 1 = 5 years ago, Volume 2 = 5 years later. 5 years! What happened in between? Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor, an army dude, got together then broke it off, and the Justice League have not managed to mesh as a team and still bicker about who the leader is. I don’t understand why Geoff Johns made this decision. In this reboot, technically we’re seeing the characters for the first time but when you fast forward 5 years in between issues, you’re avoiding all of the stuff that you should really be addressing in a reboot. Those are the formative years of these heroes and we’re still not seeing them, even in a reboot designed specifically for this purpose!
And it would really make sense for this book to still be set in the early years of the Justice League’s formation because are we really to believe that after 5 years they still can’t work together as a team - are they truly that ill-suited to teamwork? Then why not disband? But I’m getting ahead of myself...
The problem with skipping over so much time is that everything is told in passing or in flashbacks. So the emotional core of the book is Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor’s relationship but we never saw any of that because it was never written, at least not in the New 52. So we’re told in passing and in a handful of panels sprinkled across the entire book that WW and Steve Trevor had a relationship but WW broke it off for some reason and poor Steve never got over it. Why Steve is even in this book is baffling - why do the JL need a liaison between themselves and the rest of the world? There’s also a tantalising storyline that’s not explored - a splash page of the JL fighting J’onn J’onzz who’s managing to hold his own against the entire team! Uh... I’d like to read that story! That looks fantastic! Martian Manhunter - he was on the team or he wasn’t? Anyway, I’d much prefer to read that than this Mr Graves crap. But no, it’s a 2 page spread and then we’ve moved on. Flashback over, we’re 5 years ahead. Do you care about Steve Trevor now? No? Too bad, we’re 5 years ahead.
Mr Graves as a villain is baffling. He single-handedly discovers an area of Asia where giant Indian Death Gods wander the mountainous landscape that no one’s ever seen before, and somehow inherits from them these magical powers that feed on emotion... or something. Also, he’s one of these villains who looks inhuman - so you know he’s evil - and whose powers kind of swirl around him ethereally so he doesn’t have to do anything, he just stands there and lets the mists or ghosts or whatever they are do their thing while he stands back cackling evilly. That’s always interesting to see a bad guy doing – nothing. And through doing nothing, managing to defeat the most powerful team of beings on the planet.
He not only looks like a stereotypical villain, he does something all idiot villains do: when he has Steve Trevor tied up and on the brink of death, he leaves before witnessing his death! Even though Steve’s death is central to his plan of destroying the JL - “You have to be dead for this to work!” he exclaims in surprise when Steve shows up at the end - he doesn’t make sure he’s dead! It’s shocking how inept a bad guy he is.
His plan to “show the world who the Justice League really are”? Never understood it. How exactly was he going to do this? There was a moment where Wonder Woman, for no real reason, decides to punch Green Lantern and then Superman gets roped in and is kicked by WW, and Graves, somehow, manages to broadcast this scene on every single screen in the world, thus showing the world they’re not a very unified team. But that was it. And that’s not much of a plan in the first place is it? I mean what if WW hadn’t flipped out and they flew calmly off – what then? No big scene and the world continue loving the JL, Graves’ plan is in the crapper. I guess it’s a good thing the script is so obliging.
Also, Graves’ writing cabin? It’s a freakin’ mansion, not a cabin! And why does he need a dedicated cabin/mansion to write anyway? Does he really need so much ritual and pretension to write his crummy books?
There are a lot of moments throughout the book that don’t really make sense but instead feel wholly contrived. Wonder Woman and Superman kissing at the end? When did they have feelings for one another - don’t tell me, in the 5 year gap, right? Because it’s not established anywhere. WW fighting Green Lantern and Superman for no reason, then Aquaman challenging Batman for leadership of the JL at the end, and Green Lantern leaving the Justice League - why are any of these things happening!?! There are no reasons, these are events that just happen. I like Geoff Johns’ writing, I think his first JL book was great and his “Aquaman” and “Batman Year One” books were excellent, but his awful writing in this book is inexcusable.
Believe me, I really wanted to like Volume 2, especially after such an enjoyable first volume, but there was so much wrong with this book from the awful villain, the nonsensical story, the bizarre moments, and the glaring 5 year gap between books, that I couldn’t enjoy it. All of these problems failed to immerse me in the story and instead I found myself dreading turning the page for fear of the next blunder about to emerge. Jim Lee’s art is ok but in no way makes up for Johns’ lacklustre script. I’d heard there was a Shazam backup to the JL comics drawn by Gary Frank that I was looking forward to reading but it’s not included in this hardback - maybe they’re saving it for the next book or as a standalone series? Anyway, “The Villain’s Journey” is a dud - “SSTAAYAWAAAYY!”.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 19, 2021
Reread: 19/10/2021
Its a great book reading it again and we pick up with JL and Steve Trevor and the politics going on in there and then Green Arrow trying to rejoin the team and the drama that follows but its the big battle with David Graves whose becomes a soul-manifest villain thats the big threat and I love how the JL battle against him and the threat he represents and how they take care of him and all that plus Hal leaving the league and the new conflicts and everything in the team. Its so good and makes for such a great read and Jim Lee's art is God-tier here. Its a must read for sure.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
This was a great book! Focusing on Steve Trevor and people asking why is he the liaison and what secrets JL could be hiding, and focus on politicians and then the part where Green Arrow tries to join the team and some of it was odd like Hal would not treat ollie this way but regardless the main story is about this guy named Graves, who wrote the book on JL when they first came together but an illness is taking his life away and had already taken his family and thus JL couldn't save him he feels and thus begins the villains journeys and he travels to Mount Semreu and meets the Asuras and communes with the dead and becomes a monster/a villain and is out for revenge against JL and then his plans start with Steve. This was a great volume showcasing that JL isn't perfect and showing their downfall and great focus on the motive of Graves and then the consequences are enormous and big decisions by Clark and Diana and Hal. Its a game changer in many ways but its too good and leads to Trinity War soon! Also the art by Jim Lee here again is just too good!
Its a great book reading it again and we pick up with JL and Steve Trevor and the politics going on in there and then Green Arrow trying to rejoin the team and the drama that follows but its the big battle with David Graves whose becomes a soul-manifest villain thats the big threat and I love how the JL battle against him and the threat he represents and how they take care of him and all that plus Hal leaving the league and the new conflicts and everything in the team. Its so good and makes for such a great read and Jim Lee's art is God-tier here. Its a must read for sure.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
This was a great book! Focusing on Steve Trevor and people asking why is he the liaison and what secrets JL could be hiding, and focus on politicians and then the part where Green Arrow tries to join the team and some of it was odd like Hal would not treat ollie this way but regardless the main story is about this guy named Graves, who wrote the book on JL when they first came together but an illness is taking his life away and had already taken his family and thus JL couldn't save him he feels and thus begins the villains journeys and he travels to Mount Semreu and meets the Asuras and communes with the dead and becomes a monster/a villain and is out for revenge against JL and then his plans start with Steve. This was a great volume showcasing that JL isn't perfect and showing their downfall and great focus on the motive of Graves and then the consequences are enormous and big decisions by Clark and Diana and Hal. Its a game changer in many ways but its too good and leads to Trinity War soon! Also the art by Jim Lee here again is just too good!
December 7, 2015
Originally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
With the Origin story out of the way, the creative team finally gets to spread its wings and put this team into action. “How did it go,” you ask. Really well, I thought.
First off, the art by Jim Lee and others is stellar from beginning to end. I could spend several paragraphs to sound smart by talking about color, character movement, and expressiveness in the dialogue section, but I’ll just say the art kicked ass and leave it at that.
As for the story, it was a fairly straightforward affair, but really entertaining.
Here, a former admirer of the Justice League has experienced personal tragedy and turned into a world-class hater. Naturally, this causes him to try to ruin their public personas in numerous ways, resulting in numerous fights and other cool stuff like that.
Okay, okay, I know that sounds like pretty standard superhero storytelling, and it is, but Geoff Johns livens it up with the villain’s past, his personal suffering, and his very understandable reasons for doing what he does. I’m not saying his sins are completely justified, but at least, they are understandable and grounded in his life story. Things which make the story more interesting to me.
The other great element in this story was the Leaguers’ internal dynamics and their individual plots. Green Lantern and Flash’s are still immature frat boys most of the time, but at least, they are actually funny this go round. Superman continues to be aloof and standoffish, but I guess, in the New 52, that is who Supes is. Cyborg’s story about whether he is even alive anymore or merely a machine raised some intriguing questions. Aquaman continues to be the born leader, who is waiting for a chance to show everyone else he has what it takes to fix all the world’s problems. Wonder Woman is a lot better than Volume 1, where her portrayal was god-awful, but there are still moments where you wonder if Johns gets Diana at all. And Batman . . . well, he is Batman. Hell, is there anything else that needs to be said, really.
The highlights of this collection really boil down to two plots for me personally.
First, I loved Green Lantern’s appearance. I thought it was hilarious how Johns poked fun at old Ollie and his archaic bow and arrows, even going so far as to have Green Lantern totally give the guy a hard time every second of the way. Classic stuff.
Second, the Wonder Woman-Steve Trevor sub-plot was a nice addition to the story. I know, some people might think it was some silly crap and not in line with Diana’ characterization in Azzarello’s WW run, but I thought it was decently done, humanized the Amazonian princess a bit, and added another layer to the plot line.
So, overall, I really enjoyed this volume of the New 52 Justice League. Great art. Fun story. Some killer fights. Can’t wait to read the next volume, which is even now waiting for me at my local library.
With the Origin story out of the way, the creative team finally gets to spread its wings and put this team into action. “How did it go,” you ask. Really well, I thought.
First off, the art by Jim Lee and others is stellar from beginning to end. I could spend several paragraphs to sound smart by talking about color, character movement, and expressiveness in the dialogue section, but I’ll just say the art kicked ass and leave it at that.
As for the story, it was a fairly straightforward affair, but really entertaining.
Here, a former admirer of the Justice League has experienced personal tragedy and turned into a world-class hater. Naturally, this causes him to try to ruin their public personas in numerous ways, resulting in numerous fights and other cool stuff like that.
Okay, okay, I know that sounds like pretty standard superhero storytelling, and it is, but Geoff Johns livens it up with the villain’s past, his personal suffering, and his very understandable reasons for doing what he does. I’m not saying his sins are completely justified, but at least, they are understandable and grounded in his life story. Things which make the story more interesting to me.
The other great element in this story was the Leaguers’ internal dynamics and their individual plots. Green Lantern and Flash’s are still immature frat boys most of the time, but at least, they are actually funny this go round. Superman continues to be aloof and standoffish, but I guess, in the New 52, that is who Supes is. Cyborg’s story about whether he is even alive anymore or merely a machine raised some intriguing questions. Aquaman continues to be the born leader, who is waiting for a chance to show everyone else he has what it takes to fix all the world’s problems. Wonder Woman is a lot better than Volume 1, where her portrayal was god-awful, but there are still moments where you wonder if Johns gets Diana at all. And Batman . . . well, he is Batman. Hell, is there anything else that needs to be said, really.
The highlights of this collection really boil down to two plots for me personally.
First, I loved Green Lantern’s appearance. I thought it was hilarious how Johns poked fun at old Ollie and his archaic bow and arrows, even going so far as to have Green Lantern totally give the guy a hard time every second of the way. Classic stuff.
Second, the Wonder Woman-Steve Trevor sub-plot was a nice addition to the story. I know, some people might think it was some silly crap and not in line with Diana’ characterization in Azzarello’s WW run, but I thought it was decently done, humanized the Amazonian princess a bit, and added another layer to the plot line.
So, overall, I really enjoyed this volume of the New 52 Justice League. Great art. Fun story. Some killer fights. Can’t wait to read the next volume, which is even now waiting for me at my local library.
September 3, 2016
The Justice League protects the Earth while the United States government doesn't trust them.
They want information and access, but that's not easily obtained when dealing with superpowered individuals. So they want the League to add a new member they can control.
I really don't like this at all. I like Batman, hate the Green Lantern, and I'm indifferent about everyone else. I'm surprised how much I hate Green Lantern, but he's portrayed as an absolute prick. I don't often want to punch people whether they are real or fictional (although I was disturbingly happy when Joffrey Baratheon died), but I'd like to punch Green Lantern. The characters I've known my whole life fall pretty flat, the writing is far from interesting, and I don't want to read any more of these.
1.5 out or 5 stars
They want information and access, but that's not easily obtained when dealing with superpowered individuals. So they want the League to add a new member they can control.
I really don't like this at all. I like Batman, hate the Green Lantern, and I'm indifferent about everyone else. I'm surprised how much I hate Green Lantern, but he's portrayed as an absolute prick. I don't often want to punch people whether they are real or fictional (although I was disturbingly happy when Joffrey Baratheon died), but I'd like to punch Green Lantern. The characters I've known my whole life fall pretty flat, the writing is far from interesting, and I don't want to read any more of these.
1.5 out or 5 stars
July 5, 2016
After reading and loving Justice League Vol. 1: Origin, I was excited to move forward with the series. I had finally gotten a good start into the DC comic world. I was feeling good! Well... then I read this. Is it great? Yeah. Is it the right volume to read after volume one? No. I mean, it is volume two so you'd think this would be next in line. I sure did. But as I read, I realized I should have read volume one of all the individual Justice League characters first. While everything here made sense, I had the feeling I was missing something, probably because volume two takes place a whole five years after the first volume. Apparently, volume one of all the individual heroes explains what happened in those five years and gives us more information on how their characters developed. I will definitely be going back and reading all those volumes as well as all the second volumes before moving onto Justice League Vol. 3.
Besides that, the story, action, and artwork is all on the same epic level as Origin. So good! Geoff Johns never fails to blow me away with his storytelling. Highly Recommended!
Besides that, the story, action, and artwork is all on the same epic level as Origin. So good! Geoff Johns never fails to blow me away with his storytelling. Highly Recommended!
March 29, 2016
Ok but nothing new
April 13, 2018
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Geoff Johns continues to deliver a fantastic action-packed Justice League story with The Villain’s Journey. Honestly, this was quite entertaining and had everything that made the first volume so enjoyable. Explosive action sequences, quirky humour, fantastic interactions between these Gods, full-page panels that conveys the godlike power of these heroes (these almost felt like long lost paintings of mythological beings; it’s crazy what Jim Lee can do when given the opportunity). I went into this volume looking to have fun with these heroes, and that’s what I got.
The story is quite simple, but it doesn’t really take away anything from the overall experience. The first couple issues presents us the daily lives of the Justice League five years of the events in volume 1. Steve Trevor now acts as a liaison between the Justice League, ARGUS and the human world. However, he’s the one who suffers most of any backlash that follows the Justice League, and that’s what sparks the premise to the whole story. There’s a lot of questions around his relationship with Wonder Woman, but by the end of the volume, the big question is answered in a spectacular fashion (one that people aren’t always fond of). Steve Trevor’s sub-plot still plays an important role throughout the story and I liked how it was explored until the end.
The Villain’s Journey then dives into the introduction and development of a brand new villain who relishes on the anguish of others. He’s not the most complicated villain or one that would have you mesmerized for days on end, but he’s visually interesting and has enough development to give us a good idea of what he’s all about, what he wants and what he can do. And when I say development, I really mean it. His character goes from love to hate like no other being you’ve ever known.
There are some plot holes and some elements that were quickly dealt with, but the volume as a whole was still fun and exciting. The artwork alone saves this story and elevates the story arc enough to make you ignore all the short-comings. Then again, if you’re looking for something complex and insanely original, this might not completely satisfy you. Personally, Jim Lee’s artwork will always be welcome in my life as his style is truly mesmerizing and does justice to the character’s emotions, powers and overall presence.
I also loved how they teased two other heroes in this volume. I can’t wait to see more of them (hopefully). And with the way that Geoff Johns does the interaction between heroes, I think it’s safe to say that it’ll be a nice treat. What I also started realizing with Geoff Johns and his Justice League run is how everything is upscaled in terms of danger, and that it sometimes forces him to cut corners and not dwell in details that would otherwise make these stories so much better. I guess that’s the ultimate lesson from this run. Short and sweet, big and crazy, but not enough time given to marinate and savour it all.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
Geoff Johns continues to deliver a fantastic action-packed Justice League story with The Villain’s Journey. Honestly, this was quite entertaining and had everything that made the first volume so enjoyable. Explosive action sequences, quirky humour, fantastic interactions between these Gods, full-page panels that conveys the godlike power of these heroes (these almost felt like long lost paintings of mythological beings; it’s crazy what Jim Lee can do when given the opportunity). I went into this volume looking to have fun with these heroes, and that’s what I got.
The story is quite simple, but it doesn’t really take away anything from the overall experience. The first couple issues presents us the daily lives of the Justice League five years of the events in volume 1. Steve Trevor now acts as a liaison between the Justice League, ARGUS and the human world. However, he’s the one who suffers most of any backlash that follows the Justice League, and that’s what sparks the premise to the whole story. There’s a lot of questions around his relationship with Wonder Woman, but by the end of the volume, the big question is answered in a spectacular fashion (one that people aren’t always fond of). Steve Trevor’s sub-plot still plays an important role throughout the story and I liked how it was explored until the end.
The Villain’s Journey then dives into the introduction and development of a brand new villain who relishes on the anguish of others. He’s not the most complicated villain or one that would have you mesmerized for days on end, but he’s visually interesting and has enough development to give us a good idea of what he’s all about, what he wants and what he can do. And when I say development, I really mean it. His character goes from love to hate like no other being you’ve ever known.
There are some plot holes and some elements that were quickly dealt with, but the volume as a whole was still fun and exciting. The artwork alone saves this story and elevates the story arc enough to make you ignore all the short-comings. Then again, if you’re looking for something complex and insanely original, this might not completely satisfy you. Personally, Jim Lee’s artwork will always be welcome in my life as his style is truly mesmerizing and does justice to the character’s emotions, powers and overall presence.
I also loved how they teased two other heroes in this volume. I can’t wait to see more of them (hopefully). And with the way that Geoff Johns does the interaction between heroes, I think it’s safe to say that it’ll be a nice treat. What I also started realizing with Geoff Johns and his Justice League run is how everything is upscaled in terms of danger, and that it sometimes forces him to cut corners and not dwell in details that would otherwise make these stories so much better. I guess that’s the ultimate lesson from this run. Short and sweet, big and crazy, but not enough time given to marinate and savour it all.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
July 22, 2024
I liked this set of stories quite a bit better than volume 1 that was set 5 years ago. The characterizations seemed more spot on. Wonder Woman didn't seem like a dummy for one thing.
Aquaman is being taken seriously which I love. Johns's writing is good. I wish Lee could get a consistent inker. Each of his issues has at least 4 inkers on it. I like that Johns paralleled the original Justice League run by having Green Arrow trying to join the team again in issue #8.
Aquaman is being taken seriously which I love. Johns's writing is good. I wish Lee could get a consistent inker. Each of his issues has at least 4 inkers on it. I like that Johns paralleled the original Justice League run by having Green Arrow trying to join the team again in issue #8.
April 18, 2024
With clear character continuity problems aside, it's an enjoyable story for what it is. The inside banter and bickering reaches breaking point, causing both internal and external action. Coupled with a generic villain, it's nothing new or special, but one that succeeds in executing the formula.
November 9, 2024
Was eager to continue the series after finishing vol1, maybe I had high expectations but it felt that this volume was on a somewhat less level of awesomeness than vol1, but still quite good though.
Batman is presented here as the weakest of the group, being mocked by the Lantern as the only normal guy in the group, his assertations of being the leader of the group was laughable, as if his only strength was strategy! in a coupe of situations when the heroes waited for his commands it felt as if this was his only role, without those panels he would have been a silent witness to the deeds of the league members. This is a less favorable Bat than one might like to see.
On the othe hand, Superman is presented as the less talkative, wise guy that is always keeping a certain space from the group, as if they were all below him, and this is confirmed by Wonder Woman's paying special attention to him above the rest of the team, while she was impartial to the league's efforts to dissuade her from going after Graves solo, she didn't have second thoughts before attacking the team, but was ashamed of attacking Superman in her anger, as expected the spark ignites between them, although it felt rushed how quickly she tosses aside Steve..
MiM
Batman is presented here as the weakest of the group, being mocked by the Lantern as the only normal guy in the group, his assertations of being the leader of the group was laughable, as if his only strength was strategy! in a coupe of situations when the heroes waited for his commands it felt as if this was his only role, without those panels he would have been a silent witness to the deeds of the league members. This is a less favorable Bat than one might like to see.
On the othe hand, Superman is presented as the less talkative, wise guy that is always keeping a certain space from the group, as if they were all below him, and this is confirmed by Wonder Woman's paying special attention to him above the rest of the team, while she was impartial to the league's efforts to dissuade her from going after Graves solo, she didn't have second thoughts before attacking the team, but was ashamed of attacking Superman in her anger, as expected the spark ignites between them, although it felt rushed how quickly she tosses aside Steve..
MiM
August 1, 2016
I wonder if Geoff Johns has even bothered to read the current Wonder Woman solo book (which is wonderful, by the way), and I wonder if he did read it and just decided to disregard everything about it, from characterization to the story itself. Not only is his take on Diana clumsy and inconsistent at /best/ but he also seems determined to make Steve Trevor/Diana this epic love that once was; never mind that he's not even been mentioned once in Diana's solo book. I understand that this is his incompetent way of creating a love triangle between Diana, Steve and Clark, of course, but the whole thing is plain laughable because Clark and Diana have barely interacted at all.
Really, the first six issues were fun, but now I can't help but to roll my eyes and groan every time Hal Jordan goes on about how "useless" Bruce is because he's got no powers. Especially because all Hal Jordan seems to do is screw up every other issue. At least Johns had Diana give him a deserved verbal and physical smack down - at least there was that.
Really, the first six issues were fun, but now I can't help but to roll my eyes and groan every time Hal Jordan goes on about how "useless" Bruce is because he's got no powers. Especially because all Hal Jordan seems to do is screw up every other issue. At least Johns had Diana give him a deserved verbal and physical smack down - at least there was that.
October 29, 2016
I really 'em enjoying this series.
Maybe because I love Hal, he's a confident asshole, and it makes the group talk funny as fuck.
Maybe it's the art, it's great, and some amazing shots are printed here.
Maybe it's the feeling of watching the heroes work together (Then again Rebirth Justice League sucks nuts so I dunno).
Hell, I can't describe what I love. I just enjoy it all. Watching Aquaman tell Green Arrow to fuck himself. Watching Superman and Batman unite as friends together was great. Watching Wonder Women take on half the league by herself. Watching the weakness of all the characters interact with their past was great.
I just really enjoyed it. So I'm going to have to go with a 4/5 because I think it's great fun.
Maybe because I love Hal, he's a confident asshole, and it makes the group talk funny as fuck.
Maybe it's the art, it's great, and some amazing shots are printed here.
Maybe it's the feeling of watching the heroes work together (Then again Rebirth Justice League sucks nuts so I dunno).
Hell, I can't describe what I love. I just enjoy it all. Watching Aquaman tell Green Arrow to fuck himself. Watching Superman and Batman unite as friends together was great. Watching Wonder Women take on half the league by herself. Watching the weakness of all the characters interact with their past was great.
I just really enjoyed it. So I'm going to have to go with a 4/5 because I think it's great fun.
August 16, 2014
My original "review": See reviews by Sam and William Thomas. None shall pass.
I shoulda listened to myself, but Nooooo - gotta keep up with the Joneses of my GoodReads comics club. Have to be able to report first person impressions (horrors) on one of the most popular comics of our day. Yeah, I'm an idiot, and here's why:
Exposition, motherfucker. Have you heard of it - or rather, the skill of minimizing it? Apparently not - why not gather the JL in a circle and tell each other what we've all been doing with each other. That doesn't seem at all weird, now does it? Maybe it isn't weird, if we assume that Johns believes that the Flash is developmentally challenged.
A couple of issues later, Aquaman utters the most self-obvious dialogue, which no self-aware person would say out loud (and not immediately follow with, "Sorry guys, I know that didn't make any sense to say that"): "How are we supposed to be a team if our enemies know more about us than we do?" Not to mention WW saying, "So, some of us know each other's secrets, and some of us are still in the dark."
It's almost as if Johns rips out a first draft, doesn't bother to say any of the dialogue out loud, and no one calls him on the shit quality of his script. Friggin Stan Lee ripped this kind of crap in the 60's - what's your excuse Geoff? No one got the nerve to call out the golden boy?
Hell, I'm even willing to give him the conceit of this whole series: the JL are young, still trying to figure each other out, and are brash arrogant assholes who might grow up to be real heroes some day. It's still ridiculous if we take into account the fact that they're supposed to have been a team for *five plus years* by this point, but what the hell, let's try the "JL are all dicks" approach.
Doesn't mean the JL are also all retards.
The big retard though is behind the keyboard. Graves, in the middle of an unnecessary kidnapping, turns immediately from threatening to maudlin and saccharine? Yeah, way to make your characters believable.
Even better: the big confrontation between WW and GL? I actually laughed out loud. The laughs keep coming every splash page. And then I realize the joke's on me, when this is supposed to be a "twist".
Damn, all these wasted splash pages. If Jim Lee would just get a DeviantArt account, we might get more attempts at storytelling in these books. Instead, we get a bunch of "everyone running from a starter's pistol" scenes.
At least the art is generally good. Except when Jim Lee decides to throw all story flow out the window and ask the JL to pose for a splash-page photo op in the middle of battle. "No, a little more to your left Cyborg, you're not in panel. Batman, can you hover a little higher? You're blocking out view of Supes holding WW. GL, hold out your fist a little further (despite the fact that your ring doesn't work better when it's closer to the target). Great! Now hold that pose for ten seconds while I get some reference shots."
I shoulda listened to myself, but Nooooo - gotta keep up with the Joneses of my GoodReads comics club. Have to be able to report first person impressions (horrors) on one of the most popular comics of our day. Yeah, I'm an idiot, and here's why:
Exposition, motherfucker. Have you heard of it - or rather, the skill of minimizing it? Apparently not - why not gather the JL in a circle and tell each other what we've all been doing with each other. That doesn't seem at all weird, now does it? Maybe it isn't weird, if we assume that Johns believes that the Flash is developmentally challenged.
A couple of issues later, Aquaman utters the most self-obvious dialogue, which no self-aware person would say out loud (and not immediately follow with, "Sorry guys, I know that didn't make any sense to say that"): "How are we supposed to be a team if our enemies know more about us than we do?" Not to mention WW saying, "So, some of us know each other's secrets, and some of us are still in the dark."
It's almost as if Johns rips out a first draft, doesn't bother to say any of the dialogue out loud, and no one calls him on the shit quality of his script. Friggin Stan Lee ripped this kind of crap in the 60's - what's your excuse Geoff? No one got the nerve to call out the golden boy?
Hell, I'm even willing to give him the conceit of this whole series: the JL are young, still trying to figure each other out, and are brash arrogant assholes who might grow up to be real heroes some day. It's still ridiculous if we take into account the fact that they're supposed to have been a team for *five plus years* by this point, but what the hell, let's try the "JL are all dicks" approach.
Doesn't mean the JL are also all retards.
The big retard though is behind the keyboard. Graves, in the middle of an unnecessary kidnapping, turns immediately from threatening to maudlin and saccharine? Yeah, way to make your characters believable.
Even better: the big confrontation between WW and GL? I actually laughed out loud. The laughs keep coming every splash page. And then I realize the joke's on me, when this is supposed to be a "twist".
Damn, all these wasted splash pages. If Jim Lee would just get a DeviantArt account, we might get more attempts at storytelling in these books. Instead, we get a bunch of "everyone running from a starter's pistol" scenes.
At least the art is generally good. Except when Jim Lee decides to throw all story flow out the window and ask the JL to pose for a splash-page photo op in the middle of battle. "No, a little more to your left Cyborg, you're not in panel. Batman, can you hover a little higher? You're blocking out view of Supes holding WW. GL, hold out your fist a little further (despite the fact that your ring doesn't work better when it's closer to the target). Great! Now hold that pose for ten seconds while I get some reference shots."
August 9, 2013
It wasn't terrible, but it did nothing for me. The biggest problem was, I think, the five year skip. Yes, I did want to see what happened during those five years, but that wasn't the issue I had with it. The issue is that, in five years, not one of these characters has grown or matured in the slightest. After five years of working together, they still can't act like a team. Honestly, it didn't feel like five years had passed at all. It reminded me of the video game Dragon Age 2, which tried to make the story more epic by telling the player that years had passed in between scenes, but included no real development of the characters, overarching plot, or setting to show that years had passed. I didn't buy it in DA2, and I didn't buy it here.
August 1, 2015
The new 52 reboots the JLA in its early years with the most popular A list superheroes in it and Green Arrow trying to join on his terms even though most of the JLA considers him a joke. On a deeper level this issue deals with the friction within the JLA and Wonder Woman's romantic interests.
Yes, they kept the friction between Batman and Hal Jordan/Green Lantern.
Very good artwork.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus to A minus.
Yes, they kept the friction between Batman and Hal Jordan/Green Lantern.
Very good artwork.
OVERALL GRADE: B plus to A minus.
July 19, 2017
Pros: Pleasing, action packed, old school pencil-and-ink artwork and familiar characters.
Cons: The story jumps around a lot, between time periods, setting, plotlines...But take your time, get to know a bit more about the characters, and its definitely worth it.
Bonus: Superman kisses Wonder Woman, holy Power Couple, Batman!
Cons: The story jumps around a lot, between time periods, setting, plotlines...But take your time, get to know a bit more about the characters, and its definitely worth it.
Bonus: Superman kisses Wonder Woman, holy Power Couple, Batman!
November 15, 2016
Meaningful story, just long on exposition. An unknown supernatural villain with a subtle plan to destroy the Justice League arises. There are some subtle twists along the way.
February 14, 2015
Really enjoyed the second volume of the New 52 Justice League. The team has some hard questions thrown at them, like why can't they do more in the world to save people? Then there is the matter of the secrets they have and are still hiding from each other. The villain in this volume does his best to exploit all these problems and the League ends up paying a price for it in the end.
Anyone know if/where the Martian Manhunter backup was collected? Still would like to know more about what happened during MM's tenure with the team.
Anyone know if/where the Martian Manhunter backup was collected? Still would like to know more about what happened during MM's tenure with the team.
March 28, 2016
Ugh. Couldn't even finish. It's not that it lacks substance, there just isn't much and not to my liking. This really seems like it's written for young teens who don't need much story. Colonel Trevor and Congress, Colonel Trevor in love with Wonder Woman, breakout in Arkham, breakout in Iron Heights. Get to the point already. There is definitely something off about this, because it's so unlike Geoff Johns. I'm done with the series and will chalk it up to a swing and a miss.
May 5, 2018
Просто перед очима стоїть, як це писалося. Над письменником нависає, помахуючи мацаками, дедлайн. Письменник думає: треба зробити monster of the week, але при цьому показати людську іпостась супергероїв, щоб читачі їм співчували. Окей, втрати інших ми вже бачили, а от Диво-жінці явно бракує людської трагедії. Курча-курча-курча, що б то його вигадати, коли це вже писали стільки разів...
І в розпачі починає строчити сюжет: є письменник, який пише про Лігу справедливості! Це принесло йому світову славу і статки, як у Стівена Кінга (сила позитивного мислення, - бурмоче емпіричний автор, - сила позитивного мисоення)! А потім він починає формувати образ Ліги не лише словами, а і вчинками, заганяючи їх у глухий кут! І, цитую, примовляючи: “Оскільки світ тепер знає правду – що ви так само травмовані, як і всі ми – настав час знову вас підтримати. Вивчивши вас, я почав співчувати болю, пережитому кожним із вас. Окрім Диво-жінки. Вона мала відчути людську втрату”! І т.д., і т.і. There’s meta and then there’s meta and then there’s whatever the heck this was. Спосіб вкластися в дедлайн рівня “у попа була собака”.
На цьому будемо вважати, що до КомікКону готова.
І в розпачі починає строчити сюжет: є письменник, який пише про Лігу справедливості! Це принесло йому світову славу і статки, як у Стівена Кінга (сила позитивного мислення, - бурмоче емпіричний автор, - сила позитивного мисоення)! А потім він починає формувати образ Ліги не лише словами, а і вчинками, заганяючи їх у глухий кут! І, цитую, примовляючи: “Оскільки світ тепер знає правду – що ви так само травмовані, як і всі ми – настав час знову вас підтримати. Вивчивши вас, я почав співчувати болю, пережитому кожним із вас. Окрім Диво-жінки. Вона мала відчути людську втрату”! І т.д., і т.і. There’s meta and then there’s meta and then there’s whatever the heck this was. Спосіб вкластися в дедлайн рівня “у попа була собака”.
На цьому будемо вважати, що до КомікКону готова.
February 27, 2015
This just didn't live up to Volume 1 for me. Green Arrow had a guest appearance while I enjoyed, so that was a plus. Jim Lee did most of the art, another plus. Gene Ha did some of the art, and I don't know if I was just comparing it to Lee or what, but it didn't look nearly as good as some of Ha's artwork has in the past. The main storyline to me was confusing. I understood the gist of it, but parts of it lost me. Overall this was good but not great.
I read the actual issues rather than the collection, so I also read the Shazam back ups. (Im not sure if this is in the collection or not.) The Shazam back ups were really good. Billy Batson is a bit of a jerk in this one, and the Marvel family is a ragtag group of foster children. Overall though, this part of the story really worked, and Gary Frank's art was nice as well.
This wasn't terrible, just came across as a "transition" volume to bide time until the next "big" storyline started.
I read the actual issues rather than the collection, so I also read the Shazam back ups. (Im not sure if this is in the collection or not.) The Shazam back ups were really good. Billy Batson is a bit of a jerk in this one, and the Marvel family is a ragtag group of foster children. Overall though, this part of the story really worked, and Gary Frank's art was nice as well.
This wasn't terrible, just came across as a "transition" volume to bide time until the next "big" storyline started.
August 17, 2014
This was such a good Justice league story! Now this book does have a lot less action than Volume one, i mean they are fighting a villain who isn't designed to take a beating like Darksied, but man does this villain know how to mentally beat the snot out of the justice league! The villain , is crafty, smart and full of rage at The justice league! Overall this was an amazing story!
April 25, 2018
A pesar de lo que me suele gustar DC y La Liga de la Justicia, en este volúmen noté que la historia estaba floja. El principio parecía relleno y la solución del problema se hace en dos hojas. Simplemente esperaba más desarrollo.
June 10, 2020
In a lot of ways, Villain's Journey is a defining moment of the New 52. It ends with Superman kissing Wonder Woman, which led to a whole spinoff series (Superman/Wonder Woman, naturally), and it sort of explains the philosophy of the era. I'm not sure Geoff Johns nailed it, but the significance itself is there.
The second volume of Johns' Justice League leaps five years ahead of the first one (Origin) to an established team revered as "gods" by the public, or at least to those fanatic levels by David Graves, the man who literally wrote the book on them. Having worked in a bookstore for five years, I can imagine how popular such a book would've been, and its role in shaping perception of the League. Johns' approach is that perception matters as much as reality, even if he never quite presents the perception, other than Graves' compromised version as he heads toward a villainous career.
But there's also the supporting role of Steve Trevor to consider. In Steve, Johns finds surer footing, but even then I wish he'd have spent more time exploring the character. In the first volume, Johns elevated Steve's initial encounter with Wonder Woman as one of the highlights of the early series. The opening arc ended up informing the later Justice League movie, but it also helped define the Wonder Woman who appeared in the far more successful solo movie (the character's first ever). Wonder Woman herself takes a backseat until the end of Villain's Journey, and then only to spend her time snogging Superman.
It would've been nice to see more. Johns has spent the majority of his comics career writing solo tales, although his longest and best-known run, Green Lantern, eventually spent most of its time losing Hal Jordan in the tangle of one intergalactic crisis after another (although by the end Johns did spend quality time with new recruit Simon Baz). He's also spent considerable time with the Teen Titans and especially the Justice Society, where he often put the spotlight on individual members. His Justice League, I liked to say, was like a monthly event series. Eventually that became somewhat literal. The last ten issues were dedicated to "Darkseid War," and all pretense of character work had sort of slid by the wayside.
But he also could do some quality work defining characters. His Cyborg has become the definitive one, as far as I'm concerned. And his Wonder Woman was probably the best Wonder Woman to ever appear in a Justice League comic. It gave a tantalizing glimpse at what it might look like if Johns ever did write a full-on series with the character. And as I said, his take stole the spotlight in the first volume of this series.
So it was disappointing that he let the reader fill in all the blanks for him. I can do that well enough, but sometimes it's necessary to put in the time, to guide the reader along a little more. The League he presents is full of internal bickering. Even Superman spends most of his time floating in the background, as someone observes (all while everyone's discovering everyone else's secret lives, such as the fact that Superman is also Clark Kent, a reporter, used to observing).
The thing is, the approach also works really well. This is a team of icons who are too busy worrying about their personal problems to get on with the business of being icons. So that they aren't just icons. For some fans, that can be frustrating. The whole concept of the New 52 was basically that iconic characters weren't just sitting on pedestals anymore. Fans tend to embrace clean, clear concepts, easy to digest. They don't like a lot of ambiguity, no matter what they might say. The New 52, then, was always going to be problematic.
If you want to begin to understand the New 52, or Johns' Justice League, this is the place to start.
The second volume of Johns' Justice League leaps five years ahead of the first one (Origin) to an established team revered as "gods" by the public, or at least to those fanatic levels by David Graves, the man who literally wrote the book on them. Having worked in a bookstore for five years, I can imagine how popular such a book would've been, and its role in shaping perception of the League. Johns' approach is that perception matters as much as reality, even if he never quite presents the perception, other than Graves' compromised version as he heads toward a villainous career.
But there's also the supporting role of Steve Trevor to consider. In Steve, Johns finds surer footing, but even then I wish he'd have spent more time exploring the character. In the first volume, Johns elevated Steve's initial encounter with Wonder Woman as one of the highlights of the early series. The opening arc ended up informing the later Justice League movie, but it also helped define the Wonder Woman who appeared in the far more successful solo movie (the character's first ever). Wonder Woman herself takes a backseat until the end of Villain's Journey, and then only to spend her time snogging Superman.
It would've been nice to see more. Johns has spent the majority of his comics career writing solo tales, although his longest and best-known run, Green Lantern, eventually spent most of its time losing Hal Jordan in the tangle of one intergalactic crisis after another (although by the end Johns did spend quality time with new recruit Simon Baz). He's also spent considerable time with the Teen Titans and especially the Justice Society, where he often put the spotlight on individual members. His Justice League, I liked to say, was like a monthly event series. Eventually that became somewhat literal. The last ten issues were dedicated to "Darkseid War," and all pretense of character work had sort of slid by the wayside.
But he also could do some quality work defining characters. His Cyborg has become the definitive one, as far as I'm concerned. And his Wonder Woman was probably the best Wonder Woman to ever appear in a Justice League comic. It gave a tantalizing glimpse at what it might look like if Johns ever did write a full-on series with the character. And as I said, his take stole the spotlight in the first volume of this series.
So it was disappointing that he let the reader fill in all the blanks for him. I can do that well enough, but sometimes it's necessary to put in the time, to guide the reader along a little more. The League he presents is full of internal bickering. Even Superman spends most of his time floating in the background, as someone observes (all while everyone's discovering everyone else's secret lives, such as the fact that Superman is also Clark Kent, a reporter, used to observing).
The thing is, the approach also works really well. This is a team of icons who are too busy worrying about their personal problems to get on with the business of being icons. So that they aren't just icons. For some fans, that can be frustrating. The whole concept of the New 52 was basically that iconic characters weren't just sitting on pedestals anymore. Fans tend to embrace clean, clear concepts, easy to digest. They don't like a lot of ambiguity, no matter what they might say. The New 52, then, was always going to be problematic.
If you want to begin to understand the New 52, or Johns' Justice League, this is the place to start.
April 6, 2013
I was quite disappointed with how the first volume of Justice League ended; it devolved into a splash-page fest with very little character to it, leading to me dropping the book after issue #6. This second volume is much more consistent, and feels like the premiere book of the New 52, as it should.
The first two issues are done-in-ones that act as a prologue to both the main Villain's Journey story and to the upcoming Justice League of America title, as we see Green Arrow attempt to join the Justice League and fail miserably. These two issues are a nice breather before launching into another multi-part arc, and the fill-in artwork from both Gene Ha and Carlos D'Anda is excellent.
Jim Lee returns for the four part Villain's Journey story that rounds out this trade, and his work is exceptional even when he has an army of inkers on his final issue of the title. The story works nicely as a follow-on from the first story arc of the series as David Graves attempts to take down the Justice League for their supposed role in the death of his family. Graves is a ghoulish looking villain whose personal motivations and power set allows for the League members to really come across as individual characters rather than just plot devices as characters can become in big team books. The arc ends quite ominously, and is overall very personal and enjoyable, the opposite of the first arc of this title. There are still a lot of splash pages, but nowhere near the same level as the last few issues of Origin, so there's plenty of story to go around too.
The first two issues are done-in-ones that act as a prologue to both the main Villain's Journey story and to the upcoming Justice League of America title, as we see Green Arrow attempt to join the Justice League and fail miserably. These two issues are a nice breather before launching into another multi-part arc, and the fill-in artwork from both Gene Ha and Carlos D'Anda is excellent.
Jim Lee returns for the four part Villain's Journey story that rounds out this trade, and his work is exceptional even when he has an army of inkers on his final issue of the title. The story works nicely as a follow-on from the first story arc of the series as David Graves attempts to take down the Justice League for their supposed role in the death of his family. Graves is a ghoulish looking villain whose personal motivations and power set allows for the League members to really come across as individual characters rather than just plot devices as characters can become in big team books. The arc ends quite ominously, and is overall very personal and enjoyable, the opposite of the first arc of this title. There are still a lot of splash pages, but nowhere near the same level as the last few issues of Origin, so there's plenty of story to go around too.
December 13, 2020
Uhhh, why is Steve Trevor such a whiny bitch in this run? I can’t stand him, he’s like a high school boy with a bad case of the ‘friend zoned’ blues in this trade.
The story wasn’t much better in this one than the first it was just a little more confusing than the first one. I don’t really know what the moral of this one is supposed to be? Don’t save people from getting zapped to ashes because they might inhale some noxious fumes that has consequences later? I don’t know how the justice league were meant to avoid or even know what Darkseid’s laser beam fumes would do to Graves family. The characters all seemed to agree that Graves motives were justified, that his scheme to break up the Justice League was warranted because his family had some adverse affects to having their lives saved. Green Lantern even ended up leaving the league because he felt so moved about the issue. It doesn’t make sense, this is forced. It’s bad writing. It’s the equivalent of having your life saved at Chernobyl and then suing the firefighters for getting radiation cancer. It doesn’t make sense. I really can’t stand when a writer wants to make something happen, in this example it’s GL leaving the team, so they write a bullshit story and make the outcome of it happen to justify their original endgame. Like for instance... blaming the JL for not foreseeing consequences and it resulting GL leaving the team because he suddenly grew a conscience in between his embarrassing quips. Just because you want it to happen, doesn’t mean it should.
The story wasn’t much better in this one than the first it was just a little more confusing than the first one. I don’t really know what the moral of this one is supposed to be? Don’t save people from getting zapped to ashes because they might inhale some noxious fumes that has consequences later? I don’t know how the justice league were meant to avoid or even know what Darkseid’s laser beam fumes would do to Graves family. The characters all seemed to agree that Graves motives were justified, that his scheme to break up the Justice League was warranted because his family had some adverse affects to having their lives saved. Green Lantern even ended up leaving the league because he felt so moved about the issue. It doesn’t make sense, this is forced. It’s bad writing. It’s the equivalent of having your life saved at Chernobyl and then suing the firefighters for getting radiation cancer. It doesn’t make sense. I really can’t stand when a writer wants to make something happen, in this example it’s GL leaving the team, so they write a bullshit story and make the outcome of it happen to justify their original endgame. Like for instance... blaming the JL for not foreseeing consequences and it resulting GL leaving the team because he suddenly grew a conscience in between his embarrassing quips. Just because you want it to happen, doesn’t mean it should.
June 29, 2014
I found this one to be a little inconsistent, but I still enjoyed it.
Johns, finds some great moments to build relationships between team members, especially the relationships between GL and Flash, as well as Superman and Wonder Woman. And while there are a few really good small moments, the main event kinda fizzles.
The new super-villain is not that exciting. He needs a lot more background and explanation to give him depth. The revenge story that fuels his hatred for the JL is barely touched on and, in a story arch titled "The Villain's Journey" I kinda expected there to be, well...., a JOURNEY for a VILLAIN.
The artwork was especially good when Jim Lee took hold of the reigns. I really like the team-up of Johns and Lee on this title. Their interpretations of the Justice League characters really mesh well together and I find the visuals and subtext are very harmonious.
I guess the sore-thumb for me was the Green Arrow cameo. That issue was a total throw-away. I guess it was intended as a bit of a breather after the intensity of volume one, but, for me, it was really out of place, especially when that issue could have been used to expand on other events happening in he DCU at the time, ie Night of the Owls, the Culling, etc.
I would have liked to have seen a more direct continuation of the events from Volume One.
Still, I enjoyed it for the smaller moments even if the bigger picture wasn't too exciting.
3.5/5
Johns, finds some great moments to build relationships between team members, especially the relationships between GL and Flash, as well as Superman and Wonder Woman. And while there are a few really good small moments, the main event kinda fizzles.
The new super-villain is not that exciting. He needs a lot more background and explanation to give him depth. The revenge story that fuels his hatred for the JL is barely touched on and, in a story arch titled "The Villain's Journey" I kinda expected there to be, well...., a JOURNEY for a VILLAIN.
The artwork was especially good when Jim Lee took hold of the reigns. I really like the team-up of Johns and Lee on this title. Their interpretations of the Justice League characters really mesh well together and I find the visuals and subtext are very harmonious.
I guess the sore-thumb for me was the Green Arrow cameo. That issue was a total throw-away. I guess it was intended as a bit of a breather after the intensity of volume one, but, for me, it was really out of place, especially when that issue could have been used to expand on other events happening in he DCU at the time, ie Night of the Owls, the Culling, etc.
I would have liked to have seen a more direct continuation of the events from Volume One.
Still, I enjoyed it for the smaller moments even if the bigger picture wasn't too exciting.
3.5/5
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