Review: Justice League Volume 6 - Injustice League

In the aftermath of the Crime Syndicate’s takeover of Earth, Lex Luthor and Captain Cold are being hailed heroes for their role in the Syndicate’s defeat. Now, Luthor is demanding entrance into the Justice League and is doing everything he can to convince the public of his beneficence. The League is wary of inviting him into their ranks, but as the old adage goes – “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”

Justice League Volume 6: Injustice League collects issues 30-39 of Justice League, written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Doug Mahnke, Ivan Reis, Scott Kolins and Jason Fabok.

Injustice League is a return to form for writer Geoff Johns after the lackluster work found in the preceding volume of this series. With Forever Evil finished, Johns explores the consequences of the world’s greatest supervillain suddenly becoming Earth’s apparent savior. It’s an interesting concept to consider, the notion that Lex Luthor could be a hero and could fight alongside the heavyweights in the Justice League. Even still, he has to earn the right to be on the team and Johns doesn’t take the easy road by making it seem like Luthor has had a change of heart. It’s very clear that he’s still just as shady as ever.

This trade is split into two distinctive arcs. The first deals with Luthor’s campaign to be elected into the Justice League, which coincides with a conflict between the League and the recently formed Doom Patrol over the new bearer of the Power Ring. Much of the focus in these issues goes to Luthor, Batman, and the Doom Patrol, which means we don’t see a whole lot of the rest of the League. Johns’ take on the Doom Patrol is certainly interesting, particularly since he uses the classic team and puts his own spin on it. I really like the inclusion of Element Woman, especially since I was disappointed that she was written out prematurely during the conclusion of Trinity War. She’s a fantastic character, so it was nice to see more of her. Needless to say, she was the standout amongst the Doom Patrol members. This is also due to the severe underdevelopment of the rest of the characters, whose personalities are fairly one-note and whose origins and abilities are only dealt with in a cursory manner. The diminished role of the League itself is also unsatisfying, as this is their book and there had been very little focus placed on them as a unit since the onset of Trinity War.

The second arc is far more engaging and features a pretty neat storyline. It puts a new spin on the classic Justice League foe Amazo, shifting the enemy from an android to an unstoppable virus that turns humans into pseudo-zombies and gives them superpowers in the process. Nearly everyone in Metropolis is infected, leaving only a handful of heroes to find a cure. Johns uses this arc to explore Luthor’s continued path to legitimacy as a hero, as well as to play with some of the tropes of the zombie fiction subgenre. The reinvention of Amazo as the product of a virus is a really cool idea and breathes new life into an otherwise stale character. The continued use of Captain Cold as part of the supporting cast gives the dynamic a little flavor, while the prominence of Wonder Woman throughout leads to plenty of cool action sequences.

Aside from the focus placed on Lex Luthor, Injustice League is notable for the introduction of Jessica Cruz – the then-new owner of the Power Ring. While one would expect Johns to focus a lot on her development, she’s woefully underused throughout. We get bits of her origin, as well as some relationship building scenes with the Flash, but that’s about it. She’s de-commissioned for most of the Amazo arc, while the Doom Patrol sucks up a lot of the spotlight prior to that. She has the potential to be a really interesting character though, particularly due to her being promoted as the first official female Green Lantern from Earth (note: Jade was actually part of Kyle Rayner’s Corps in the ‘90s).

Despite there being some shafting of characters, Justice League Volume 6: Injustice League is a great read. Johns skillfully re-establishes the team’s dynamic Post-Forever Evil and continues to show his strength as a dialogue writer. His inclusion of Lex Luthor into the League is interesting and creates tension within the team, while the Doom Patrol and Jessica Cruz both have tremendous potential to be really cool if utilized properly. Beyond Johns’ work, the art in this collection is deserving of praise. While I’m not the biggest fan of Kolins’ work, the art done by Reis, Mahnke and Fabok is nothing short of spectacular. In fact, Fabok proves to be the shining star of this trade. His pencils are detailed, crisp and beautiful to look at. His Wonder Woman and the new design he’d given her are fabulous.

RATING: B