Justice League 3000 #2

Writer J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen Artist Howard Porter

 

 

Introduction

 

The first installment of Justice League 3000 seemed to divide critics in half. The story featured some really futuristic art from Howard Porter that may not have dazzled individuals the same way that Kevin Maguire would have, but still led to some really interesting storytelling choices. J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen derived a lot of cobbled many fascinating ideas together that amounted to a very intriguing story that should have caught the attention of many who have fond memories of the older Justice League story by the team. The dialogue was a little strange at times, and the series was definitely overwritten to the point where it detracted from the art at some points, but the mood and tone were definitely there. A lot of funny moments proved that something special was still coming from the artists and writer of this series that should not be missed by those who are lusting after the a brighter DC Universe.

 

Writing

 

DeMatteis and Giffen do not quite a hit a home run here, in fact is even more difficult to some sort of life at the end of the tunnel after how little happens in this issue. The largest problem contained within this issue, is the fact that there is an enormous amount of dialogue that is not going anywhere in this story. There is not enough entertaining ideas to make things as exciting as they were in the first comic, and some major jokes in this tale fall flat as well. It is hard to keep a cautiously optimistic voice after the creative team stumbles over every obstacle present. The setup is also slightly repetitive, and does not lead to anything interesting until way down the line in the second half of this issue. It is hard to discern whether the real crime is the fact that the dialogue by DeMatteis is not funny, or if the ideas from Giffen are just not here.

 

Art

 

Howard Porter delivers some great art that really sparks the imagination of readers interested an alternate future of DC. Some pages are definitely more polished than others, the first splash in particular is one of the best that the new comic has to offer. It should be mentioned that the artist also manages to get quite a bit of detail on almost every page of this book. Panels are jam packed with city-scapes and rubble that make them consistently interesting to look at. There is also a general feeling that Porter is easing into the look and feel of the title, as this set of pages are missing the strange storytelling quirks that ended up detracting from the last installment. The penciller also has a knack for storytelling that make his pages move along nicely.

 

Conclusion

After a really amusing first issue, the second installment of Justice League #3000 does not quite hit the right beats that readers would expect from the team and concept. Fans might want to skip this installment, and wait until the next one.