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Oct 25, 2011 DC Universe By Kyle Lemmon

In last month’s pretty solid relaunch of Justice League, the all-star creative team of Geoff Johns (Aquaman, Green Lantern) and Jim Lee (All-Star Batman & Robin) set up all the game pieces with just enough flair. Fellow comic book reviewer, Jeremy Nisen, commented that the book didn’t completely blow him away, but “...holds a ton of potential.” In Issue #2, we see a tad more of that “potential” come to fruition as The Flash and Vic Stone are fleshed out as characters. It’s admirable that Johns is taking his time creating his world and showcasing the quirks and strengths of each team member. Other New 52 books should follow suit.

Some amusing, nearly cornball banter is thrown back an forth between The Flash, Green Lantern, and Batman in this issue. Naturally, we start the story with a throwdown between Batman, Green Lantern, and Superman, that is broken up after the Scarlet Speedster winds the Big Blue Boyscout. It’s an expected introduction and executed with precision and whimsy.

Unsurprisingly, the proto-League realizes (again) that their common foe is some mysterious force led by Darkseid. Perplexing, intergalactic “Mother boxes” keep popping up in super-human cities across the globe, too. When the team tries to examine one for trace DNA or fingerprint evidence, it activates a devastating chain reaction of explosions. Vic Stone, the high school football star destined to become Cyborg, thankfully gets a lot more panel-space this time. He’s not as well known as the other heroes here and certainly requires some attention. His daddy issues this month are a little melodramatic at times. Naturally, there’s plenty of action during the S.T.A.R. Labs and Metropolis scenes to excuse that small narrative blemish.

Jim Lee and Scott Williams turn in another set of exquisite, ‘90s-leaning panels this month. The true star of this issue is colorist Alex Sinclair (Flashpoint, Infinite Crisis), though. His primary palette immediately catches your eye and his detailing keeps it there. This postmodern Justice League is still a slow-moving title, but it somehow works. Issue #1 failed to deliver the action such a marquee title requires, but most readers won’t be checking the negative column this month.

One of the positive things this time are the supplemental materials at the end of the book. There’s a four-page transcript of an interview between Captain Steve Trevor, U.S.A.F. and Amanda Waller that quickly sets the stage for the forthcoming appearances of two more Leaguers. Also, four pages of design sketches detail Batman and Superman’s cool new costumes. JL obsessives will love it. (www.geoffjohns.com / www.dccomics.com)

Author rating: 7/10