Justice League Special Comic-Con Footage

It's Comic Con, bitches! That means someone, be it DC or Hasbaro, is going to try and win by blowing the most minds and inducing the most boners. Well, I think after today, the winner is clear. DC, you've won. My mind is blown and my dick is hard enough to split the moon. Between this and the Wonder Woman trailer, 2017 is going to kick an insane amount of ass. Nuff said!

Shallow Justice: Justice League Rebirth #1

The following is my review of Justice League Rebirth #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

There are certain concepts of justice that aren't subject to politics, laws, or retcons. These concepts transcend eras, cultures, and hashtags. They act as the binding ideals of humanity. Debate over these ideals is never-ending, but these debates are necessary to provide context to these ideals. That's what makes the goals of the Justice League so daunting, but so meaningful. Without this context, they're just another team of superheroes hoping that their movie tops Avengers.

In the aftermath of DC: Rebirth and Darkseid Wars, the context of the Justice League is in flux. It's not just a result of changes in the lineup and the latest (albeit no-so-greatest) death of Superman. The overall mood and tone of the Justice League is changing. The New 52 utilized certain themes, attempting to be more mature than it needed to be at times. Justice League Rebirth #1 attempts to refine these themes in a way that doesn't feel like regression.

If there is a kryptonite to the new direction of DC: Rebirth, it's this perception of regression. There's no denying that the New 52 had its flaws. The post-Crisis status quo had its flaws too. The challenge with DC: Rebirth is to not come off as exchanging a new flaws for old ones. In the end, it leaves things just as flawed as before and sets a dangerous precedent that DC will resort to Mephisto-like tactics to tweak its continuity. The tweaks in Justice League Rebirth #1 are meaningful in the sense that it moves the narrative forward. However, the progression, in terms of meaningful context, is lacking.

The purpose of the narrative is simple. It puts the Justice League in a situation where they need Superman and two new Green Lanterns, Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz, to join their ranks. It succeeds in this respect, but with limited drama and little sense of progression. Absent of any context and such a simple narrative works as well as any story that involves superheroes fighting giant monsters. It's a narrative that the Justice League handles whenever Lex Luthor has too much free time. Within that context, however, the story lacks impact.

Taking a step back and looking at the bigger post-Rebirth picture, we see a Justice League that just suffered a terrible loss with the death of Superman. They just lost someone who helps them come together in their first battle against Darkseid. It's a big loss on so many levels. They didn't just lose a teammate. Wonder Woman lost a lover. The world lost an icon. It's a hole that can't be easily filled with clones, cyborgs, or relatives. DC already tried that in the 90s and, like the Batman movies of the time, it didn't work.

Bryan Hitch tries to highlight the impact of this loss in the battle against a generic, city-sized monster. That loss, however, is undercut by the arrival of the post-Crisis Superman, who has been waiting in the wings since Convergence. He looks like Superman. He talks like Superman. He is pretty much the same Superman that the Justice League remembers, rendering the death of their former teammate to a mere inconvenience. This being Superman, the gold standard for superheroes for eight decades running, that's downright callous.

The arrival of the new/old Superman effectively overshadows the arrival of Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz. Their arrival doesn't contribute much. They just show up to aid a Justice League that lacks both Superman and Green Lantern. They lack Hal Jordan's attitude, but bring some needed firepower. However, that's all they bring. While they do have potential, most of this potential goes unrealized.

Once again, the situation is reduced to convenience. The Justice League lacks a Green Lantern. They end up getting two, which seems like a bargain until they fail to bring anything new to the table. It's the same issue with the new/old Superman. They're basically conveyed as spare Lego pieces, interchangeable with their predecessors and allowing the Justice League to continue as though nothing happened.

This is the flaw that the larger context that Justice League Rebirth #1 exposes. The significant losses that the team is still processing suddenly becomes irrelevant. The death of Superman and the absence of Hal Jordan no longer matter. Rather than doing justice to those losses, the story focuses entirely on filling the void with other characters. The drama, the relationships, and the dynamics within the team are an afterthought. The goal of Justice League Rebirth #1 is to just give the team a full roster again. It succeeds in this respect, albeit in a very shallow way.

That's not to say that Hitch's narrative is completely lacking. The battle against the generic giant monster has more depth than a typical Power Ranger rerun and even hints at the larger threats that the Justice League will face moving forward. It does highlight just how important it is to have someone like Superman and Green Lantern in their ranks, but the ease with which they fill those ranks still undermines the drama.

At the very least, Justice League Rebirth #1 offers a fairly concise story that re-establishes the Justice League as a complete team. Unfortunately, it does so in a way that feels shallow and forced, undermining any drama or upheaval that may have emerged otherwise. It's a missed opportunity in some respects, but it does move Justice League forward into the post-Rebirth status quo. It still comes at the cost of utterly undermining the death of Superman. Whether that cost is worth the results is debatable, but given the context of Rebirth, it's a lopsided debate at best.

Final Score: 5 out of 10

Gods, Justice, Secrets, and Spectacles: Justice League #50

The following is my review of Justice League #50, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Every major comic book event likes to claim it'll shake the foundations of this entire fanciful world to its core. Very few can claim they deliver on a consistent basis. Geoff Johns is one of the few who can make this claim, at least in the context of DC Comics. For the past decade, he has been the architect for many of the important upheavals in the DC Universe. He seems to bring a new upheaval every other year and Darkseid Wars is no exception.

This event is already shaking and shattering the foundations of the post-Flashpoint era of DC Comics. Darkseid is dead. Batman now sits on the Mobius chair. Lex Luthor now wields power, courtesy of the pits of Apokalipse and his unparalleled capacity for deceit. Wonder Woman now knows that Steve Trevor wasn't the first man to visit Themyscira. Johns is putting every character in a position to reassess the fundamental nature of who they are. Some handle it better than others and for once, it's not just Lex Luthor who lets his ego get in the way.

Justice League #50 is the culmination of all these factors on top of being the capstone to the New 52 era. It's a lot to assess, reassess, and reconfigure. Events that started back in the Forever Evil event come into play. On paper, it seems impossible, juggling so many plots and making every outcome feel meaningful. In addition, this all has to be done in conjunction with the world from an inter-dimensional entity that already has one dead universe to its credit and a dead Darkseid as a bonus.

It's the kind of massive threat that brings out the best and worst of the Justice League. In this case, Johns manages to highlight the best, minimize the worst, and complete the Darkseid Wars saga in a meaningful way. He once again proves himself a skilled juggler of all things DC Comics, but with Darkseid Wars, he sets himself apart from any street performer or circus act.

Darkseid Wars is an omega-level DC Comics spectacle and Justice League #50 acts as the finale when all the fireworks goes off, all the dazzling lights shine, and everybody's ears are left ringing in the best possible way. The Justice League doesn't just come together like the scrappy underdog in every sports movie ever made. They navigate a vast, intricate conflict that begins with Forever Evil and ends here.

Like the finale of any great spectacle, it gets pretty chaotic at times. Between Grail using Superwoman's baby to channel the power of the New Gods and the Anti-Life Equation taking a new form, it's like keeping up with the Flash after a dozen cups of coffee at times. However, Johns keeps things concise, using Wonder Woman as a narrator and an anchor for the plot. She provides the context for the emotional and dramatic breadth of the story and its a role she's uniquely adept at.

This context is built around Grail and her connection to Wonder Woman's homeland of Themyscira. The entire catalyst for Darkseid Wars begins and ends with the secrets and lies surrounding Themyscira, which have nothing to do with an illegitimate offspring of Zeus for once. Grail acts as the ultimate disruption to the order these secrets and lies protect, not at all caring that parts of this order kept forces like Darkseid in check.

This helps make Grail the biggest star of this story. For most Darkseid Wars, she carries herself like the antithesis of Wonder Woman. In Justice League #50, she finally demonstrates a level of depth that makes her worthy of being the star rookie of DC Comics' team of premier villains. What she does, how she does it, and how the Justice League opposes her bring out the potential that is undeniably present, but takes longer than expected to realize.

Grail and Wonder Woman help guide the narrative of Darkseid Wars to its conclusion. However, as strong as these characters and the surrounding spectacle are, there are times when it feels rushed. Johns avoids stumbling as he juggles so many plots and themes, but the story still gets ahead of itself, especially at the very climax of the battle. Jason Fabok's art skills seem wasted with how quickly the dust settles. There's a distinct lack of grit that keeps it from having the kind of visceral impact that separates great stories from iconic stories.

This rushed pacing extends to the aftermath and epilogues as well. There are significant implications from the events of Darkseid Wars, but these implications are mostly reduced to teasers. These teasers are tempting and appealing in their own right, but they raise far more questions than they answer and these questions are of the frustrating kind.

This is especially true with the teasers surrounding Batman and Wonder Woman. The revelations they uncover raise more than a few eyebrows, but the impact is muted. This impact can certainly be explored in other comics, but it does little to improve the impact of Justice League #50. There are other developments, like those surrounding Jessica Cruz, that offer a more meaningful and immediate impact. Like most teasers though, it's over too quickly.

The pace and polish in Justice League #50 keep Darkseid Wars from broaching that iconic status. It's still a story that hits all the right notes, evokes the right drama, and balances the right themes. It just doesn't fit together in a cohesive, comprehensive manner in the end. It's a flavorful desert of sorts, being the Justice League story that caps off the New 52 era. It's not completely filling, but it's still very satisfying and previews the menu for DC Comics' next big feast with Rebirth.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Unholy Grail: Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1

The following is my review of Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

When historians look back on this era of comics, they will likely refer to this era as the silver age of female superheroes. The only thing that might keep it from being a golden age would be the fact that Ant Man got a solo movie before Wonder Woman. Shortcomings aside, it's undeniable that female superheroes have risen to prominence during this era.

Carol Danvers became Captain Marvel. Kamala Khan became Ms. Marvel. Harley Quinn became more than an obsessive Joker fangirl. There are still unresolved issues, such as Power Girl's costume and Starfire's sexuality, but there has definitely been progress in the realm of female superheroes. However, the same cannot be said for female villains.

Female villains create a unique set of challenges that cannot be easily resolved with clones, time travel, and skin-tight costumes. All too often, female villains are reduced to typical femme fatales or glorified Bond girls. It's not enough for a female villain to just be a menacing presence with an hourglass figure. To stand out in an era where it's way too easy to undermine female characters, it takes a novel approach.

This is the approach Geoff Johns has set up with Grail, who has been the main catalyst to the events of Darkseid Wars. He has tried to make the fact that she's a woman secondary to the overall story. It's ambitious in that it's one of those feats that isn't usually accomplished outside of a Joss Whedon movie. For it to work, Grail can't just be a female version of Darkseid. Having an hourglass figure and a desire to exterminate all life in the universe just isn't enough. She's has to be different kind of villain with a different set of motivations.

Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1 attempts to shed light on those motivations. What it offers helps move the plot of Darkseid Wars forward, but it does little to make Grail more than Darkseid's evil daughter. She still comes off as the rotten apple of her daddy's eye, in some cases quite literally when omega beams enter the picture, and her story does little to make that more interesting. If anything, it overly simplifies her persona in a way that might as well be ripped from a Superfriends rerun.

That story doesn't try to make excuses for Grail. It doesn't try to make much of a story of it either. Grail is an evil, devious woman who treats inflicting death with the same glee as a child eating a chocolate cake. There was no real progression to this evil. She basically just follows Lady Gaga's message to the letter in that she was born this way. There's never really a sense that she could be anything else.

That's not to say the overall story is bland. If Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1 has an intriguing character, then it's not Grail. It's her mother, Myrina Black. She's the only character whose motivations feel compelling. She's a mother trying to protect her daughter, but she's also a mother fighting a losing battle. Any mother who has dealt with a rebellious teenage girl can empathize. With Grail, though, this battle is taken to an unreasonable extreme.

There's nothing in this story that would make anyone sympathize with Grail. Geoff Johns doesn't try to make her a tragic villain in the tradition of Two-Face, Sinestro, or Joel Shumacher. He only ever reinforces the notion that Grail is just inherently evil and everything she does is intended to make children and puppies cry. To her credit, Myrina Black still tries to love her daughter as any mother would. However, despite what nearly every song by the Beatles may claim, love is simply not enough.

Even if love isn't enough, the greatest strength of the story is that it's told from Myrina Black's perspective. Geoff Johns includes plenty of rich dialog and inner musings that offer insight into Myrina's personality. She's very much an Amazon. She has more warrior spirit in her pinkie than most people not named Bruce Wayne have in their entire bodies. She sets herself apart from Wonder Woman in that her mission as a mother converges with her mission as a warrior. In the end, however, it's a mission that was doomed to fail.

If Myrina Black's perspective is a strength in this story, then Grail's progression is its greatest weakness. There's no real sense that she ever even tried to become more than Darkseid's daughter. There's never a sense that anything Myrina Black did would've had any impact on Grail or how the events of Darkseid Wars played out. Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1 basically amounts to Myrina Black's failed efforts to help her daughter and Grail's utter lack of effort in heeding her mother's help.

It's basically a perfect storm for failed parenting. There's never a sense that a little extra therapy, a little more honesty, and a few more self-help books would've changed the situation. Grail still walked the same path as her father and she did it with a smile. While that might make her the kind of female villain who can take down the Justice League without breaking a sweat, it doesn't make her the kind of character that would be any more compelling than an evil Supergirl.

Grail is still a menacing character with a great deal of potential. Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1 is able to realize some of this potential, but for the most part it just moves the Darkseid War arc forward. It nicely ties in with the events in other books, incorporating ongoing plots involving Jessica Cruz and Steve Trevor into the mix. However, if the purpose of the story was to make Grail a more compelling character, then it came up short.

It didn't fall flat on its face, but it didn't break new ground either. Grail is evil. Grail is her father's daughter. Her mother never stood a chance at helping her. It's a depressing message, but most stories that begin on Apokolips usually are.

Final Score: 5 out of 10

Evil Defeats Evil: Forever Evil #7

The following is my review of Forever Evil #7, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Kids are often told that working hard and doing the right thing will get them ahead in life. By the time they're teenagers, they suspect this was a big lie. By the time they become adults, they know for certain that it's a lie and they're often pretty bitter about it. Anyone who isn't in the top income bracket eventually learns that getting ahead rarely involves working the hardest or being the strongest. It involves working smarter, having resources, and utilizing ruthless cunning to get things done. It's practically a commandment for every lobbyist, politician, and business mogul. Even Steve Jobs understood that being too nice meant being left behind, but Steve Jobs was no Lex Luthor. And Lex Luthor's ambitions are much greater than inventing a better way to listen to music.

Working smart, exploiting resources, and ruthless cunning are not defining traits of a hero. They can be, but most heroes aren't ruthless enough. Batman won't kill. Superman has strict morals. Wonder Woman follows a strict warrior code. There's no question that they're smart, but they will never be as ruthless as Lex Luthor. And in Forever Evil #7, that ruthlessness is the key to defeating the Crime Syndicate. Despite being delayed to the point where the ending was spoiled in books that came out a week earlier, it still sends the same powerful message.

The Crime Syndicate being defeated is only a secondary theme to this story. Nobody is going to be shocked that this sadistic incarnation of the Justice League didn't win the day. However, they aren't defeated by the heroic efforts of the Justice League and their allies. That would make too much sense and feed directly into that lie about working hard and doing the right thing that only kids believe. It's Lex Luthor who defeats the Crime Syndicate. This man, who embodies many of the worst qualities in man, is able to defeat a team that is immensely powerful and exceedingly ruthless. On the surface, his genius doesn't seem like an advantage. But when Lex Luthor adds it to his own ruthless cunning, it might as well be a cheat codes in a video game.

It's a striking case of fighting fire with fire, evil with evil, and ego with ego. Unlike Superman, Lex Luthor doesn't fight for truth, justice, and the American way. He fights for deceit, selfishness, and getting his way. These don't seem like the kind of qualities that would directly motivate him into stopping the Crime Syndicate and saving the world. But over the course of Forever Evil, these anti-Superman qualities provide a kind of indirect motivation that helps make him the most formidable foe in the DC Universe.

The Crime Syndicate made it so that in order for Lex Luthor to get what he wanted, he had to be the hero. He also had to convince other villains who share his very unheroic values to help him and he succeeded. And a big part of that success was playing into the egos of his fellow villains. He understood that letting the Crime Syndicate win would be like Donald Trump letting a competitor drive a nicer car than him. The thought alone disgusts them so much that they're willing to be heroes so that they can protect their precious ego.

This is what gives Forever Evil its devious theme. The heroes couldn't save the world from the Crime Syndicate. It took the ruthless cunning of someone like Lex Luthor to defeat them. It's a narrative that has unfolded before. A villain will play the part of a hero, but only so they can keep being villains. They'll do it begrudgingly, but immediately go back to their sinister ways as soon as the dust settles. That isn't the case with Forever Evil. Lex Luthor is willing to go even further, even if his fellow villains are not. He sees in the aftermath of defeating the Crime Syndicate how he can serve his own selfish ends by continuing to play hero. He's like a ruthless CEO or Walls Street banker who creates charities not because they believe in the cause, but because appearing charitable increases their influence and bumps up their stock price.

As the title itself suggests, Lex Luthor will never be a hero. In the aftermath of the Crime Syndicate's defeat, he may carry himself as such. He may even genuinely desire being labeled a hero, but he doesn't do it because it's the right thing to do. He does it because it serves his own selfish interests. He takes Ayan Rand's philosophy to the extreme and by being good, he can be more evil than ever. He by no means fits the criteria for an anti-hero. Even anti-heroes have a certain code of conduct that keeps them tied to their humanity. Lex Luthor gladly casts that aside like an old pair of socks because trivial things like codes and humanity only hold him back.

So much of Forever Evil #7 is dominated by Lex Luthor serving his ego that a number of smaller details get glossed over. He goes from defeating the Crime Syndicate to being the world's greatest hero in the eyes of the public. The rest of the Justice League, now free, don't really get a chance to react or even confront Luthor. The only one who really acknowledges what he did is Batman, but he did so in the least begrudging way possible. There were plenty of loose ends, but some were left unresolved on purpose, if only to make way for the next story. But by lacking some of the smaller details, the conclusion of Forever Evil feels incomplete.

Even without these details, the core of the story is strong. From the beginning, Lex Luthor set out to further his agenda by whatever means possible. In Forever Evil #7, he succeeded. The way in which he achieved this success and the way he exploited it to the utmost is what gives the story its strength. Nobody is going to be rooting for Lex Luthor or think he's a genuine hero. Yet in the same way hippies will begrudgingly shop at Wal-Mart, readers cannot deny what Lex Luthor has achieved. It's a disturbing thought, yet it affords plenty of intrigue for everyone not named Clark Kent.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Evil Triumphs: Justice League #23

The following is my review of Justice League #23, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Reading a typical superhero story these days is like going to a movie that has already been spoiled. The ending is usually a foregone conclusion in that the villains are defeated, the heroes are triumphant, and the right guy ends up with the obligatory pretty girl. It's a story that has played out so many times that it has come to be expected. But what if the hero didn't succeed? What if evil won out in the end? It would be like the first Die Hard movie ending with John McClane falling 32 stories off the Nakatomi Tower and the final scene shows Hans Gruber laying on a beach top a pile of money.

This kind of resolution does not sit well with most people. There is almost a pathological need for people to see the heroes win and the villains lose to satisfy some primordial need for good to triumph over evil. Evil triumphs so many times in the real world. Former football stars get acquitted of murder, and nobody on Wall Street went to jail when the economy crashed. In the real world, good only seems to triumph when evil can't pay for an expensive enough lawyer. But when it comes to the modern superhero mythos, it is assumed that the heroes will triumph no matter how devious the villain may be.

For that reason, some people may be disturbed by how Justice League #23 plays out. It is the final chapter in DC's Trinity War event. On the surface, it looked like DC was trying the leech off the success Marvel captured with Avengers vs. X-men. There is a long tradition of comicbook publishers trying to one-up each other like contestants in "Dancing With The Stars" and at the beginning of the event, there were plenty of parallels. Two different teams of heroes clashed over the murder of Dr. Light and from there, Trinity War could have devolved into a typical super-powered WWE brawl, but with slightly less gaudier costumes. In the end this story took a different path and that path leads to an ending that sets it apart from any superhero brawl or Die Hard movie.

Throughout the many conflicts in Trinity War, there has been a sinister figure pulling the strings of the warring Justice Leagues. The identity of that figure has been a mystery, but in Justice League #23 this figure steps into the light and makes his presence known. He doesn't just taunt the leagues for dancing to his tune. This figure essentially brags about how he has been following the Justice League, working behind the scenes, forming connections with his Secret Society, and setting the stage for this final battle. And while the heroes work valiantly to uncover his plot, they fail to stop him. The only thing missing was a sinister Dr. Evil style laugh to taunt all the heroes for doing exactly what he needed them to do.

And what they do is expose the truth about Pandora's Box and the murder of Dr. Light. Even Pandora, the one whose name is attached to the box, had no idea what she was dealing with. Like it has from the beginning of Trinity War, the box corrupts everyone around it. The heroes of every league fail to stop it and they attack each other. And unlike Avengers vs. X-men there are no sides. It's like a bar fight with superpowers wherein petty differences, rivalries, and emotions boil to the surface. It exposes these heroes as petty, insecure, anxiously, and vindictive. It's akin to the downfall of Tiger Woods, a clean cut and upstanding role model being being exposed as having very egregious flaws.

To add insult to injury, a traitor is exposed within the Justice League of America and this traitor reveals that they were never close to solving the mystery about Dr. Light's murder. Even with all their god-like powers and the world's greatest detective on their side, they didn't find out who was behind the spark that triggered this conflict until it was too late. This revelation wounds Cyborg while setting the stage for the true purpose of Pandora's Box. Once again, it is revealed that the Justice League was never even close to figuring out its true nature. They kept treating it like magic, but it wasn't magic. As Arthur C. Clark once articulated, magic is merely science that isn't yet understood. And because the Justice League didn't understand Pandora's Box, they had no hopes of stopping it. They might as well have been trying to fly a plane by channeling ghosts.

In some respects, Pandora's Box still stays true to its mythological origins. While it wasn't the magical source of all evil, it did contain a very potent evil that has now been unleashed within the DC Universe. And since the three leagues were generous enough to soften each other up, this world is now ripe for the taking. There is no deus ex machina. A wizard doesn't appear to undo everything. Nobody reveals they have a secret weapon akin to Bat Shark Repellant. And nobody from an apocalyptic future shows up to warn anybody. The most powerful heroes of the DCU fail and evil prevails.

There's no getting around it. Trinity War is a big loss for the heroes of the DC Universe. Yet it feels like a satisfying loss in the same way that the end of the Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back felt like a satisfying loss. Evil did triumph, but the heroes weren't destroyed. They were just humbled. In a sense Trinity War is a how-to guide on humbling beings with god-like power. They were outsmarted, exposed, and turned against one another. Now they have a much bigger threat to deal with and nobody to blame but themselves.

Justice League #23 doesn't just end an event. It forcibly injects humility into the DC Universe's most powerful heroes. It may lack substance in certain areas, but there's no denying its impact. In the end heroes and even demigods don't always win. In the saga of Trinity War, they defeated themselves and now they have to deal with the consequences.

Final Score: 8 out of 10

Corruptive Influence: Justice League Dark #23

The following is my review of Justice League Dark #23, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

Abstract concepts like evil are difficult to quantify in the same way that it’s difficult to quantify the appeal of boy bands. There’s nothing to count, measure, or touch. It’s like trying to determine the flavor of water in that the concept itself has no depth. But it’s a concept that is often at the center of many famous stories, going all the way back to the days of Greek mythology. In that sense, it’s fitting that the primary source of evil in DC’s latest event, “Trinity War”, has been Pandora’s Box.

Even in the DC universe, evil that takes form and substance is difficult to deal with. I’m sure Superman would much rather be punching Brainiac’s head off than having to deal with being poisoned by some ancient box that was literally shoved into his hands. Even for Superman, a tangible object imbued with pure evil is too much to handle. In that is a theme that has played out in many different ways throughout “Trinity War”. And as Justice League Dark #23 demonstrates, such an object is too much for even the entire Justice League to handle.

Like foolish hikers that chase after a bear that just mauled a herd of deer, the Justice League and the Justice League of America fight over possession of Pandora’s Box. And not surprisingly, they had no better luck at avoiding the influence of the box than Superman. It corrupts the likes of Wonder Woman and Shazam, two heroes that, like Superman, are supposed to be personifications of all things good. Yet this object that isn’t much bigger than a laptop corrupts Earth’s most powerful heroes to the point where a good portion of the comic consists of them fighting over possession of the box. It’s like Lord of the Rings if Hobbits had superpowers.

But “Trinity War” hasn’t just focused on ancient artifacts that can corrupt angels and demigods. Other sources of corruption have emerged within each respective league. Amanda Waller and the Justice League of America may not be as evil as a sinister ancient box forged by actual gods, but the corruption behind their heroics is every bit as damaging. Now Waller’s intentions have been exposed for both leagues. She organized the JLA to effectively counter the Justice League, right down to picking heroes with certain abilities that would match or neutralize certain members in the opposing league. She even had Firestorm learn to make kryptonite with his powers. What makes it all the more distressing to both leagues is that she did this in secret. And the JLA doesn’t take too kindly to this revelation. I doubt anyone would blame Green Arrow for threatening to shoot Waller with one of his non-boxing glove arrow.

This kind of hidden agenda is something that is only possible under the guise of corruption. However, it’s not the same corruption caused by Pandora’s Box. The entire conflict behind “Trinity War” has been fueled by suspicion and paranoia about how supremely powerful beings such as Superman can be controlled if they ever became corrupt. It’s a very real and logical concern for those who aren’t more powerful than a locomotive. And to an extent, Amanda Waller was vindicated at the beginning of “Trinity War” when Superman was corrupted by Pandora’s Box. Like Dean Rooney in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, she was right in the grand scheme of things.

Waller may claim ignorance in the face of hostility from both the Justice League and the JLA, but on some levels she has to know that she was right. Superman was corrupted and because of that, he may have killed someone. Even though it was revealed several issues ago that there is another sinister force working behind the scenes, it is still a clear manifestation of Waller’s concerns. If there was no plan in place to deal with a corrupted Superman, who or what could possibly stop him? He’s Superman and his power is nothing short of god-like. Yet he’s not a god in that he can be corrupted, as Pandora’s Box has shown. So why shouldn’t there be a plan in place to deal with him and his team of demigods?

While this recourse makes intuitive sense, it too is prone to corruption. And that’s exactly how it plays out in this issue. Each Justice League team fights for control of Pandora’s Box, getting corrupted along the way, until they eventually reach Madam Xanadu, who was imprisoned before she could uncover the secrets of Pandora’s Box. She is the one that finally reveals the source behind the power of the box. This also leads to the reveal of the sinister figure who has been manipulating all three leagues from the beginning. And at this point, he doesn’t even need to hide anymore. The damage has been done and he didn’t even have to do that much. Unlike Lex Luthor, this nameless figure works smart and lets heroes destroy themselves so he doesn’t have to. It may seem like a lazier form of evil, but there’s no denying its effectiveness.

This is the most telling message of “Trinity War”. In attempting to create a balance of power between the Justice League and the JLA, both sides became corrupted. Paranoia and fear created the circumstances under which Pandora’s Box could be so effective. It didn’t have to be an object of pure evil. It just needed to give these heroes the right nudge to start attacking one another. In doing so, the corruption ensured that they couldn’t figure out whom or what they were dealing with until it was too late.

Justice League Dark #23 offers a painful lesson about what happens when corruption blinds otherwise good people. Even superheroes with all their power end up playing into the hands of a skilled manipulator. The scale of the conflict and the potential for it to get worse help this issue up the stakes in “Trinity War” to extreme levels. It also shows that while kryptonite is Superman’s greatest weakness, corruption is the greatest weakness to every hero, no matter how powerful they are

Final Score: 9 out of 10

Frustrations Boil Over: Justice League of America #7

The following is my review of Justice League of America #7, which was posted on PopMatters.com.

In every great mystery, there are a certain number of dead ends and red herrings. Like trying to navigate Lower Manhattan blindfolded, the heroes will inevitably butt heads with people who stumble into the crossfire and the villain will grow bolder and probably get a few laughs out of it along the way. Add escalating tensions between two superhero teams to the mix and the final product is akin to Sherlock Holmes meets Wrestlemania. That is the backdrop for DC’s Trinity War and in Justice League of America #7, those tensions become more volatile than the Hulk in a traffic jam.

The first few issues of the Trinity War crossover focused having the Justice League, the Justice League of America, and Justice League Dark converge in a central conflict. Now that conflict is moving in many different directions, so much so that keeping up requires a certain level of multi-tasking. That may be well-suited for typical sales representative at Goldman Sachs, but for a comicbook. Pandora, the one who first set things into motion by confronting Superman with her evil box, has not gone to the opposite end of the spectrum and sought out Lex Luthor for his help. It shows that she’s growing increasingly desperate or has a very flawed definition of insanity.

Pandora’s role is somewhat secondary in this issue because both the Justice League and the JLA are focused on uncovering the truth about Dr. Light’s death. Unlike the unfettered brawl that defined Avengers vs. X-men, both teams managed to contain themselves long enough to agree that there are other forces at work behind this conflict. The very first issue of Trinity War revealed this and now each team is seeking answers from a different source. And both sources end up being a dead end or a red herring. At one point, both leagues seem to be getting frustrated and ongoing mistrust between both teams isn’t helping. At times it feels like Harry Potter trying to work with Lord Voldermort.

One source involves certain members of each league tracking down Dr. Light’s dead soul with the mystical resources provided by Justice League Dark. Yet even though Dr. Light probably was in the best possible position to know the truth, he told them nothing. And they only found this out after spending nearly two pages trying to enter the house in the first place. It was supposed to be comical, but came off as a bit of a waste that didn’t add much to the narrative. And maybe that was the point. It showed that the sinister forces they’re up against is smart enough to make them waste time.

Another group of leaguers follow another lead with Dr. Psycho and while this ends up being a red herring, it’s not a dead end and it actually does provide something more to the story. It also provides some brief but intense action that nicely conveys the desperation and frustration the three Justice Leagues are feeling at this point. The artwork nicely details the corruption Superman is still struggling with as a result of his encounter with Pandora. It also nicely describes Martian Manhunter not holding back when probing Dr. Psycho’s mind. He’s able to surmise that Dr. Psycho was in Kahndaq when the Justice League and JLA clashed. However, he was not the one controlling Superman. And for the first time, the Secret Society is mentioned, finally putting a name on the sinister force that has been tormenting the leagues.

This alone is an important clue to the mystery, but it quickly gets lost by another revelation that seems ill-timed yet not out of place. It has been hinted at before that the JLA has had a spy keeping tabs on the Justice League. Well that spy finally comes clean, also revealing these covert activities were why the JLA knew that the Justice League was in Kahndaq in the first place. It fills in one significant blank, but it has no emotional weight. Some of her teammates are dismayed, but nobody seems all that upset about it. There’s no angry outburst or anything. It lacks the emotional weight that was so apparent in the first few issues when everyone was concerned about Superman. Without that emotional weight, the mystery loses suspense. It’s like Bruce Willis stopping for fast food in the middle of a Die Hard movie.

While this revelation didn’t carry much weight, the momentum of the story remains intact. The Secret Society has been revealed and another group of leaguers has caught up with Pandora. They manage to catch up with her just before she can give Lex Luthor her box. But in the process, Wonder Woman takes it and now she endures the same corruptive force that Superman experienced earlier. In a ways, this reflects the frustrations of the three leagues boiling over. Wonder Woman already knows what the box is capable of because she saw what it did to Superman. But since the Secret Society has been several steps ahead of them and they keep hitting dead ends, they have no choice but to confront the most immediate threat. And in doing so the DC universe now has two of its most powerful figures, Superman and Wonder Woman, corrupted by a force they don’t understand.

The mystery and the desperation of the three Justice Leagues were what made this issue compelling. The tension between each team is still there, but it wasn’t quite as volatile as it was at the beginning of the story. This issue did fill in a few blanks. It just didn’t do so in a way that felt coherent. It was like a dance routine where the song started skipping in the middle of the act. Never-the-less, Justice League of America #7 successfully maintains the momentum that Trinity War has established. The challenge is making sure it doesn’t lead to anymore dead ends.

Final Score: 8 out of 10