A review of Showcase Presents: Justice League of America #2 By Michael Bradley (omike015) October 25, 2007 Rating: 9.0 / 10

Writer: Gardner Fox
Penciller: Mike Sekowsky
Inker: Bernard Sachs
Cover: Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson

Rare is it to find a creative team whose work improves the longer they stay on a title. However, such is the case with Gardner Fox, Mike Sekowsky, and Bernard Sachs' Justice League of America. These stories have been given reprint treatment as part of DC's black and white "Showcase Presents" line. Volume Two of the Justice League of America series collects stories from JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #17-36.

As with Volume One, the book is chalked full of stories that are fun and exciting in ways rarely seen in the League's adventures today. This book shows the League doing what they do, and enjoying what they do, simply because it's right. No self-loathing. No whining. No in-fighting. No brooding. Yes, kids, there was a time when these things weren't the norm for our heroes.

There's no pretense of deep, character-driven stories here. If that's what you're looking for, go elsewhere. These stories are pure action. The League is good. The villains are bad. Good fights evil. Good triumphs over evil. But, despite their simple nature, Fox keeps the stories lively and enthralling with a cornucopia of imaginative adversaries and villains for the League to square off against. Each successive tale presents the League with a predicament and an adversary different than the last. It is this creativity that keeps the stories interesting despite their relative simplicity.

Well, that and the fact that the many of the stories here are good stories.

This volume presents the two-part "Crisis on Earth-One!" and "Crisis on Earth-Two!" (issues #21 and 22), the first team-up of the Justice League of America with their alternate Earth counterparts, the Justice Society of America. Later in the volume, we find JSA making a return appearance in "Crisis on Earth-Three!" and "The Most Dangerous Earth of All!" (issues #29 and #30) to aid the League against their evil counterparts, the Crime Syndicate of America.

The stories that introduce the Crime Syndicate are easily my favorite in the book. They are two issues of non-stop action and fun. Even Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's post-Crisis re-introduction of the CSA (in JLA: EARTH TWO) falls short of these issues, even if just narrowly. Besides the introduction of the Crime Syndicate, the volume also finds our heroes squaring off against Dr. Destiny, Kanja-Ro, the Tornado Tyrant, Amazo, and more classic villains.

Some stories, such as "Battle Against the Bodiless Uniforms!," are undeniably silly. And the final story in the volume, "The Case of the Disabled Justice League!" is a PSA to encourage kids with disabilities. Though, to its credit, it makes no argument that it is anything but, even going so far as to have the characters say as much in the middle of the story (without breaking the fourth wall).

Still, throughout out all 500 pages, Fox keeps the stories fresh and inventive. And, unlike in the first volume, Volume Two finds the Justice League (including its newest member, Hawkman (inducted in "Riddle of the Runaway Room" (issue #31)) acting more as a unified team, rather than breaking into several smaller groups story after story.

Sekowsky's art is clean, as it was in the first volume. You can tell Sekowsky was feeling more at home with illustrating the stories as his page layouts and panels become more dynamic and creative as the volume progresses. The power and motion of the League is expertly rendered, and Sachs' clean line gives each panel a stark, crisp feel.

With classic heroes taking on classic villains, these stories are perfect for a lazy weekend of escapism. Showcase Presents: Justice League of America, Vol. 2 is a volume full of entertaining stories that are a delight to read. And, like with all the Showcase Presents volumes, you get over 500 pages of comics for about what you'd pay for five comics today. Quite a value, if you ask me.

Discuss This Review at:
The Justice League of America Message Board

Review Archives
All reviews by Michael Bradley (omike015)