It's that time again! It's time for another monthly look at a twelve-issue series. This year, I wanted to focus on the DC maxiseries Justice. Last month, I took a look at issue one. In that issue, the members of the Legion of Doom were haunted by strange nightmares of the Earth being destroyed and the Justice League failing to stop it. So, where do we go from here? Let's find out in Justice #2!
The cover is an Alex Ross piece. It's pretty cool. It depicts the Justice League looming over the Riddler. Something that did confuse me at first was what was going on with Riddler's body on the cover. But it's still a good cover.
"Chapter Two"
Writers: Alex Ross and Jim Krueger
Pencilers: Alex Ross and Doug Braithwaite
Inker: Alex Ross
Colorist: Alex Ross
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editors: Joey Cavalieri and Michael Wright
Executive Editor: Dan DiDio.
The story begins in Gotham City. We join a Mr. Edward Nygma, aka the Riddler, in Wayne Industries. You see, Eddie had gotten himself a flash of inspiration.
He realized that if you wanted to hack into Batman's computer system, you needed the most powerful computers in the entire city. And who would likely have such computers? Why, a certain Bruce Wayne, of course!
The building's sensors detect someone in the building heading towards them. It can't be a guard, as Riddler's men took care of them. The sensors identify (presumably) based on a heat signature) that it's the CEO, Bruce Wayne. Wayne's computers have finished their job and provide the Riddler with a disk.
They go to greet the seemingly unaware Wayne, to find Batman waiting for them. The Riddler thinks Batman somehow tricked the building's sensors to trap him. But it doesn't matter. The supervillain has the disk, which means he will know all of Batman's secrets real soon. The Riddler and his men flee, Batman chasing after them in his Batmobile. Here, we get a glimpse into the Dark Knight's thoughts, chiding himself for this. He gets a call from Red Tornado, announcing that Aquaman is still missing. Mera is worried, even though she is used to it. Batman can empathize. Nobody wants to lose a loved one. He suggests that Tornado send J'onn J'onnz on the case. He is a detective himself, after all. Batman's got to catch the Riddler. The villain's got the schematics of the Justice League Satellite and the identities of all the members of the League.
Batman pursues the Riddler to a club called the Batcave (Heh). The Caped Crusader noted that Nygma was carrying a Matryoshka doll, aka a Russian nesting doll. Batman believes that there's a bit of symbolism there.
In another place, a man is at work.
The man's appearance, apologies for scaring people, and his hoping the recipient of what he has in the syringe has no fear of needles shows that this is Jonathan Crane, aka another long-time Batman villain: The Scarecrow. The injection allows the woman to walk again. Definitely not Crane's usual MO. This is observed by Red Tornado on the JLA Satellite. Back at the Batcave (the club, not Batman's HQ), Batman and Riddler fight. The Dark Knight is seemingly overcome by the Riddler's men, but there's something about this club. Something special. You see, this club is filled with fans of the Dark Knight, and they don't like seeing their hero not being given a fair fight.
Riddler explains the doll is a toy. And toys must be broken. It's all part of the dream, referring to the nightmare the villains had in the last issue. He uses some kind of light trick to make his escape, leaving behind the nesting doll. Typical Riddler, always having to leave a clue. Inside the doll is an eye and an ear. Batman theorizes that he wants the Caped Crusader to see and hear something.
In the desert, the Flash arrives at the spot where Captain Cold had created a giant iceberg. Since then, it has melted, and the water has seemingly caused a small oasis, complete with greenery. The people there see Captain Cold as some kind of holy man who has blessed them. He learns of Cold's involvement, alongside a woman. This leaves Barry Allen utterly confused.
In another location, a big plant has sprouted in the middle of a town.
The one responsible for this is Poison Ivy. Which makes sense, the plant M.O. Even though this is a big ol' tribute to the Silver Age, Poison Ivy draws from her more modern interpretations by ranting about people showing gratitude to the Green, one of the primordial forces of the universe introduced in Swamp Thing #47 (April 1986). Naturally, the Green is connected to plants.
Back in Gotham, Batman has tracked the Riddler to the Gotham Cemetery. He puzzles over the symbolism of the Russian nesting doll. He's also come equipped with special goggles to protect him from the Riddler's hologram tricks. The goggles help Batman deal with the Riddler's goons. Eddie Nygma fires off questions. Who is the face Batman wears when he is not Batman? Why does crime exist? Where do we go where we die? Why did Lex Luthor steal forty cakes?
Riddler then starts showing signs of being choked, even though nobody is doing so. It suddenly stops, leaving the criminal to wonder what's wrong with him. Batman tells him he's a thief. He ties up Riddler and his men, and calls Commissioner Gordon to pick them up. In Arkham Asylum, the Joker is ranting about the dream he and the other villains had. In an unknown location, Aquaman wakes up.
Yeah, the King of the Seas has seen better days. He spots a monkey with a gadget attached to him.
Not quite. You see, this monkey was merely a steppingstone. Someone reveals to him that the monkey is merely a toy, and all the toys must be broken. And the kidnapper of Aquaman stands revealed!
...Brainiac. And he wants to get into Aquaman's head. Quite literally.
I enjoyed this issue. Something I did notice is that even though this story is basically a big ol' tribute to the Silver Age and Superfriends, we do see some modern concepts in the portrayal of certain villains. For example, Luthor seeing Superman as an invader who holds back human progress in the first issue, and Ivy here hinting about a connection to the Green. Those weren't part of those characters back in the Silver Age or the Superfriends series. But then again, I don't think Ivy appeared in any incarnation of Superfriends, so...there ya go.
Another thing I found interesting is that the story actually begins with the Riddler trying to figure out the identity of the Batman. It makes a bizarre bit of sense. I can imagine that Batman's identity is one of the biggest mysteries in Gotham and many an amateur detective would try and solve it as a bit of a hobby. The scene with the "Batcave" dance club was also neat. As much as a mysterious figure the Bat is, I can imagine that he can be also seen as an aspirational figure. It's a nice little bit of subtle world-building.
As I have said before, Ross and Braithwaite are quite the art team. The art really does a great job blending the realistic and the fantastic. It takes the classic looks of these characters and gives the idea that these costumes can work in the real world. I can imagine this is what readers of the old Silver Age comics were seeing in their minds' eye when they were enjoying those old books.
If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2011 trade paperback Justice. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, and wear a mask! See you next time!
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