Justice League Dark #19

    Justice League Dark shouldn’t be the best book with Justice League in the title. Ignoring the fact that Geoff Johns has control of the other two and should be able to play off himself well, he’s easily got two of the strongest, most prominent teams ever, and that’s a huge advantage. Now, the books aren’t bad by any stretch, but since Jeff Lemire has taken over, they’re definitely not Justice League Dark, either. While I’ll concede that there’s probably a good deal of freedom with the book given that the characters aren’t as popular, since putting Jeff Lemire at the helm, the book has been consistent and impressive.

    As far as issue #19 is concerned, the best components of what make the book so good are highlighted here. Most important is the inherent distrust between the members of the team. None of them, really, are heroes, and watching as they struggle to understand who to trust and when is fantastic. The riffs that occur between each member and the rest of the team are always entertaining and frequently they attack and implicate moral issues in a way most other writers can’t get at.

    The plotting in this issue isn’t perfect by any stretch, but it’s high-level, and it does good work to make Justice League Dark feel like a more cohesive part of the DC universe than they might usually. Add on the hits of clever misdirection, and it’s a very smooth issue.

    I’ll be honest and say that I say most of this with a grain of salt, if only because my enjoyment of this issue, and the majority of #19s from DC is hindered by the tireless cameos the editorial staff decided to barrage readers with this month. It works better in this book than it did in many of the others I’ve read, but it was still more a nuisance than a quality addition. The Flash’s appearance in this book was unimportant if not inconsequential, but it looks like next month is when that will pick-up.

    Regardless, Justice League Dark has been one of the most consistent books for DC in the recent months, and Lemire’s work is laudable. #19 continues his inventive, colorful vision of what Justice League Dark should and can be, and it’s only getting stronger.