Justice League of America #22

Writer: Steve Orlando

Artist: Neil Edwards

Inker: Daniel Henriques

Colourist: Hi-Fi

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

Steve Orlando has made an interesting move with this book, as he has changed the initial reason that made Batman want to form this team. He has been dropping hints to this throughout the past few issues but it's confirmed here: Batman was visited by the Might Beyond the Mirror, and formed the JLA to stop her. This development confuses me, mostly because I don't see why Batman couldn't trust the regular Justice League with this threat. They've dealt with bigger threats. Orlando tries to explain this, claiming that Batman wanted a team that could resist the temptation of the Might. Yet, Frost accepts the Might's wish before she even takes physical form. So Batman clearly made a huge mistake in trusting Frost since she is the reason the Might returns to reality. This is a big issue I had with the story.

Another big issue is the continued implication that this story takes place during METAL, the current event by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. I don't understand how this makes any sense, mostly since the world is being overrun by evil versions of Batman that are literally destroying the very fabric of their planet. What are the JLA doing hanging out in their sanctuary? Wouldn't they at least attempt to stop as much destruction as they can?

But I'm getting too distracted. I was impressed with the villain, the Might, or Tsaritsa. She had pretty good motivation to want to enslave humanity. She isn't as relatable as Orlando seems to want her to be, but her power seems to be great and I'm genuinely curious to see how the JLA will take her down without Batman's guidance. I'm a big fan of her design. I'm not sure if Neil Edwards designed her look or not, but it looks fantastic and pretty striking.

Edwards art in general is absolutely fantastic. His work, along with Daniel Henriques' inks and Hi-Fi's popping colours, make for what is probably the best looking issue this series has had so far. In addition to the look of Tsaritsa, the rest of the characters look really expressive and the scale of the action was impressive.

Aside from some of the usual problems I've had with Orlando's dialogue and plotting, this was a mostly enjoyable issue of JLA. Again, I'm bothered by some decisions of Orlando's but I like the villain he's introduced, and I'm curious to see how this story will play out. The art is also fantastic.