Justice League #4
Written by: Bryan Hitch
Art by: Jesus Merino
Colored by: Tomeu Morey
The Kindred are here and they are going to save us all, or maybe not. In an issue that created more questions than it answered, our heroes combat the extraterrestrial on multiple fronts. The Green Lanterns on planet previously ravaged by this menace using all their strength to stop any more invaders from reaching earth, Superman deep below the earth’s surface using all his might just to stay alive, and Batman on farm watching Cyborg have a seizure. This issue sees the quakes intensify and the invading swarms gaining but also perhaps some hope. Although the motivations of the Kindred are still unknown, they seem pretty certain that the success of the Justice League is in their best interests.
Issue #4 of this Justice League title is bookended by the Green Lanterns story as they try and stop the swarms known as the Purge from making it to earth and causing any more damage. Even though not much time is spent on their story, the dialogue between Simon and Jessica shines in this issue and continues to be perhaps the highlight of the post-rebirth Justice League. Back on earth Batman attempts to soothe the Kent’s fear with all the softness of a porcupine on a cactus, but fortunately for him that situation is quickly forgotten about as the invaders begin wrecking havoc with Cyborg’s. It is here that we finally begin to learn a bit about their menacing plan. Rather than destroying or conquering earth, it turns out these creatures are here to transform humanity into something else and based on the wreck of planet the Green Lanterns found and the conversation among the Kindred, we are led to believe that this is not the first Purge. With this knowledge it looks like Aquaman may start to have a larger role in the coming issue as both he and the Kindred both continue to refer to “singing”. Could his mysterious menagerie hold the key to earth’s salvation? This, plus Wonder Woman being tough inside of the Kindred and what the Green Lanterns found on the destroyed planet tells me that things are finally about to come to a head.
Still held back by a less than interesting threat, this issue fails to elevate itself from its predecessors. Although it is exciting to learn that the Kindred are not the threat they were once thought to be, their purpose is still a dull mystery. It would have been nice if some time were spent on how they were formed, and what happened to the people they are comprised of, but alas, that would be too much. Instead we get a few panels of Wonder Woman threatening to destroy them while inside them and then showing them completely unfazed as they steal the Flash’s power. On the whole this is not a terrible issue but it does seem to be continuing pattern set in earlier issues of building to what should be a big reveal, the climax of the issue, but instead the twist at the end of the issues are intriguing just enough to make you pick up the next issue. Anyone who is familiar with Bryan Hitch’s work know the quality of stories he is capable of writing and hopefully the next issue will be up to his own high standards that he has set with years of fantastic story telling.
Art by: Jesus Merino
Colored by: Tomeu Morey
The Kindred are here and they are going to save us all, or maybe not. In an issue that created more questions than it answered, our heroes combat the extraterrestrial on multiple fronts. The Green Lanterns on planet previously ravaged by this menace using all their strength to stop any more invaders from reaching earth, Superman deep below the earth’s surface using all his might just to stay alive, and Batman on farm watching Cyborg have a seizure. This issue sees the quakes intensify and the invading swarms gaining but also perhaps some hope. Although the motivations of the Kindred are still unknown, they seem pretty certain that the success of the Justice League is in their best interests.
Issue #4 of this Justice League title is bookended by the Green Lanterns story as they try and stop the swarms known as the Purge from making it to earth and causing any more damage. Even though not much time is spent on their story, the dialogue between Simon and Jessica shines in this issue and continues to be perhaps the highlight of the post-rebirth Justice League. Back on earth Batman attempts to soothe the Kent’s fear with all the softness of a porcupine on a cactus, but fortunately for him that situation is quickly forgotten about as the invaders begin wrecking havoc with Cyborg’s. It is here that we finally begin to learn a bit about their menacing plan. Rather than destroying or conquering earth, it turns out these creatures are here to transform humanity into something else and based on the wreck of planet the Green Lanterns found and the conversation among the Kindred, we are led to believe that this is not the first Purge. With this knowledge it looks like Aquaman may start to have a larger role in the coming issue as both he and the Kindred both continue to refer to “singing”. Could his mysterious menagerie hold the key to earth’s salvation? This, plus Wonder Woman being tough inside of the Kindred and what the Green Lanterns found on the destroyed planet tells me that things are finally about to come to a head.
Still held back by a less than interesting threat, this issue fails to elevate itself from its predecessors. Although it is exciting to learn that the Kindred are not the threat they were once thought to be, their purpose is still a dull mystery. It would have been nice if some time were spent on how they were formed, and what happened to the people they are comprised of, but alas, that would be too much. Instead we get a few panels of Wonder Woman threatening to destroy them while inside them and then showing them completely unfazed as they steal the Flash’s power. On the whole this is not a terrible issue but it does seem to be continuing pattern set in earlier issues of building to what should be a big reveal, the climax of the issue, but instead the twist at the end of the issues are intriguing just enough to make you pick up the next issue. Anyone who is familiar with Bryan Hitch’s work know the quality of stories he is capable of writing and hopefully the next issue will be up to his own high standards that he has set with years of fantastic story telling.
A Look Inside
