Spinning out Dark Knights: Metal, the DC Universe has been transformed for better and for worse and only the Justice League can combat what’s on the horizon. Four giant beings composed of the universe’s major energies are on their way to destroy the planet Colu. The only way to take down this unimaginable threat is for the super-teams of Earth to form new alliances. What secrets will Superman, Martian Manhunter and Team Mystery discover? Will Zatanna, Wonder Woman and Team Wonder awaken alien magic? What can Harley Quinn possibly have to teach Team Wisdom? And why is Beast Boy on Team Entropy?
Comic Credits
- Artist: Francis Manapul, Marcus To, Riley Rossmo, Jorge Jimenez
- Colorist: Hi-Fi & Alejandro Sanchez
- Collection Cover Artist: Francis Manapul
- Letterers: Andworld Design
- Writers: Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Joshua Williamson
Alright heroes, were hear to talk about the recent limited series, Justice League: No Justice. This series came out after Dark Knights: Metal ended and was released as a weekly series. This was Scott Snyder’s first attempt at writing the Justice League along with James Tynion IV and Joshua Williamson. First off, I have to say that they knocked it out of the park. The story that was told, deals with the Justice League having to team up with a few villains to combat the fallout of Dark Knights: Metal, an event which opened the main DC Earth to threats beyond their universe. In terms of spoilers, we are dealing with these cosmic giants who are planning on destroying Earth as their next target. Yet, it is thanks to Braniac-5, of all people, to assemble four teams that will cause his plan to save the Earth to succeed! However, Braniac-5 is taken out by Amanda Waller, so it is up for these teams to wing it, and figure it out as the story progresses.
At first I thought I would not like this type of story from this writing team; Scott Snyder is known for his run on Batman which really plays with the mythos while Tynion IV is known for his work on the Batman series, having written the latest Batman/ TMNT crossover event. Whereas, Joshua Williamson is currently know for his Flash run, which has been fantastic and shows no signs of slowing down. Then when it came to the concept of this book, I was nervous as it had so many characters on the roster and had to ensure each of them fit to serve the story. I was not sure if the team could handle that, but I felt like they pulled it off well. We have so many good character moments throughout this series that works with their dynamics; having Damian unsure if he should trust Harley Quinn to watch his back, or Starfire and Sinestro almost coming to blows given Sinestro’s past history as a dictator. In addition, Beast Boy being unsure as to why he is on a team with Batman, Deathstroke, Lex Luthor, and Lobo. Several of these moments were things I never thought of, but they happened and it just made this book worth reading.
Looking at the teams, I was intrigued by the line ups. The one team I was interested in seeing the most was Team Mystery given they have Superman, Martian Manhunter, Starro, Starfire, and Sinestro. After reading the book, Team Entropy was the team I enjoyed the most. Something about the dynamics between Batman, Deathstroke, Lex Luthor, Beast Boy, and Lobo was my favorite part to read. Especially seeing Lobo encouraging Beast Boy to let go which was one of my favorite panels from this series; given that it showcased that Beast Boy has the potential to be one of the deadliest heroes if he stopped fooling around. After that another dynamic I found myself enjoying was Lex Luthor and Martian Manhunter. If I had one character who I found myself respecting once the story was over, was Starro. Yes, the first major villain of the Justice League became my favorite character in this series. Something about him being so intelligent and learning how to care was a good progression of his character. I have to say the way Starro’s arc ends got to me a bit, because it was something I was not expecting.
Francis Manapul, Marcus To, Riley Rossmo, and Jorge Jimenez are amazing throughout this series. I have to say it surprised me for a series that came out on a weekly basis but this team did a great job. The layouts were solid and I felt as though I could follow everything easily. There was no break in my concentration when it came to following the action, or conversations in the panels. I have a few favorite moments from this series, one moment involves Beast Boy transforming after being encouraged by Lobo. Another moment, is the image of the group arriving at Coul; it is a great scene which gives the reader the sense of scale when it comes to the threat they were facing. My final favorite scene is where the team is going there separate ways, I found perfect; especially the telepathic conversation that was shown between Lex Luthor and Martian Manhunter. Something about using red as a means to display psychic communication is the perfect gesture.
Also, I have to talk about Hi-Fi and Alejandro Sanchez work on this series as the colorists. These two did a phenomenal job when it comes to the color pallet needed for this series. Everyone had their “colors” sort to speak, and it looked great. Even with everyone in their “team uniforms” the coloring of these outfits do not take away from everyone’s designs; it was something I thought would happen, but the use of different blended in with each hero and/or villain’s suit correctly. Overall, Hi-Fi and Alejandro really did a great job with this series, and I want to see what other projects these two will do in the immediate future.
My final thoughts of this series as a whole is that it is fantastic. I feel as though I can recommend it to someone who has not been keeping up with DC Rebirth, and that they will be able to see a solid story being told. In addition, Justice League: No Future is leading to some interesting books coming out in the near future. In this case, it is Justice League Dark and Justice League Odyssey which are on stands now, and to my knowledge have been great follow ups to this series. For fans looking for a comic event to read without having to know much, Justice League: No Justice is the book for them.
Final Grade: 5 out of 5 Heroes
