Justice League #4 // Review
Scott Snyder and Jorge Jimenez spread the Justice League thin across the DC Universe as things continually go from bad to worse. From attempting to thwart off cosmic beings in the far reaches of space, to fighting white martians in the depths of the ocean, to being brainwashed into fighting each other, the League cannot catch a break. Secrets continue to be revealed while the Legion of Doom reveal their existence, and Gorilla Grodd makes small work of the League with the help from an old Flash villain. Snyder and Jimenez bring the high action and weight to the the series right before the much anticipated Legion of Doom-focused issue.
Rising-star artist Jorge Jimenez continues to bring his best work yet to this series. His moments of high-paced action never lack on detail, while consistently keeping the cinematic look the series has been known for. Jimenez’s stylized pencil work adds a distinct aesthetic that is unmistakable and will be sorely missed on the upcoming issues without his art. Working alongside Snyder has truly proved to make this series the flagship title for DC Comics again. Time after time, Jimenez shows why this young artist is one especially to keep a look out for in the future. Alejandro Sanchez delivers the engaging depth to Jimenez’s pencils with his stunning color work as usual, and Jim Lee adds another gorgeous variant cover to the mix with his beautiful rendition of Wonder Woman.
Snyder’s use of each opening scene to include a tale from the past with a member of The Legion of Doom helps to add to the looming dread as the group finally makes their existence known in this issue. This Gorilla Grodd opening was absolutely no exception, adding to the mythos of this ruthless beast and displaying why this powerhouse is one to be feared. With the new concepts introduced by Snyder being referred to throughout other titles, the reach of this series is felt across the DC Universe. As the next issue will focus on The Legion of Doom and their perspective, this issue puts the League in one terrible situation after the next, right before all Doom breaks loose.
Snyder still manages to squeeze in some of his more tired tropes, albeit used to make the series overall more important and wider spreading towards the DC Universe as a whole. The story is perpetually gets to be more over the top and convoluted for the sake of plot, leaving some more pertinent information coincidentally absent. The continual use of hidden mysteries that the rest of the Universe somehow had no idea about until Snyder created them can feel slightly redundant, considering having just dealt with more of the same in Metal and No Justice. Although as awesome it was to see, the fact that Sinestro’s Ultraviolet Lantern Corps was the “largest Corps ever to have existed” was yet another “of course” moment for readers. The ride is certainly fun but the tropes are tired and easy. More attention to continuity and less self-created concepts would help alleviate the few issues with this run.
Even with the aforementioned tropes this series tends to take, Snyder still crafts a fun and interesting read alongside the expert pencil work of Jorge Jimenez. With Justice League Odyssey and Justice League Dark around the corner New Justice is off to a great start
