“No Justice” is undoubtedly one of the best things to happen to the Justice League in quite some time. Scott Snyder and company have breathed new life into a series that was formerly considered dead in the water (a lackluster film release did little to help the JLA out). This creative team succeeded in reminding us why we loved these characters, and, most importantly, why we love seeing them together. “Justice League #5/Legion of Doom #1” follows continues this trend and takes us down a darker, doomier path.
Justice League #5Cover by Doug Mahnke
Written by James Tynion IV
Illustrated by Doug Mahke
Colored by Wil Quintana
Lettered by Tom NapolitanoLex Luthor’s back in the present just trying to live his best life after seeing what the future could have held for him. Luthor’s new mantra? “Embrace Your Doom!” So now he’s rounding up a new Legion of Doom to go on a cosmic wilding and establish himself as the biggest baddie in the DCU. In full recruiting mode, Luthor approaches both Sinestro and Gorilla Grodd to join his new team, and he doesn’t exactly have to twist any arms. (They’ve got a matching 401K plan and great bennies, after all!)
Considering that Lex Luthor is one of the most overused and often silliest villains in mainstream DC Comics media, it takes a lot to make a long-time reader interested and especially afraid of him. Amazingly, Tynion does just that. “Justice League #5” is Lex’s story, and consequently, the story of the Legion of Doom. We follow the account of Luthor jumping from one super-villain rendezvous to another interjected with a backstory that includes time travel, Luthor-worship, and the greatest secret in the DC Universe.
I suspect Tynion became the head writer on “Justice League Dark” because he writes as if he were fed on a steady diet of horror and science fiction for most of his life. His ability to blend these two genres brings about an exquisite sense of scale and finality. One of the strengths of the first four issues of the “Justice League” relaunch is Snyder and Company’s ability to make us see the stakes being raised, to truly fear for our heroes in the Justice League. Tynion’s haunting backstory loads up on those same fears.
Those fears are strengthened by the introduction to the philosophy of Lex Luthor and the Legion of Doom; namely, his idea of honesty. We discover that, in an alternate future, Lex’s maximum opus to society is not a scientific discovery, but a philosophical one that states: we all have horrible things inside of us, do not deny them, celebrate them. This is a fascinating take on his arch nemesis Superman’s old motto of “truth, justice, and the American way,” which is one of the reasons it works so well. Luthor’s idea of “truth” is “being authentic” to all the impulses, brilliance, evil, and chaos within oneself; he claims that the Justice League’s idea of morality is only holding people back from their true potential. This, of course, runs headlong against the Justice League’s philosophy (or any hero’s, for that matter) which is that personal desires and wants must be sacrificed for the greater good.
Did Tynion mean to create a parallel between the millennials’ criticized concept of being “authentic” and validate the multitude of their feelings, impulses, and lifestyle desires and Luthor’s hedonistic philosophy? We might never know, but one thing is certain: the moment villains’ and heroes’ philosophies clash is the moment things begin to get more interesting (just look at the “Agent of Chaos,” Batman/Joker dynamic for the past 30 years). Tynion beautifully tees us up for a satisfying next issue.
Tynion is not the only one who made this issue a winner; illustrator Doug Mahke and colorist Wil Quintana create a hauntingly beautiful picture of Lex’s story. Their dystopian, Lex-centric city a million years from now is equally fascinating and unsettling. The vast emptiness of its introductory panel and the purple and blue (Lex’s colors) that wash over the entire scene blend together to make the reader feel as though they are in an entirely different place. Mahke proves himself to be excellent at creating stark, large panels; whether it is his full-page panel of Luthor’s future, the wake of Gorilla Grodd’s rampage, or the sweeping shot of the Ultraviolet Corps, he proves his ability to illustrate depth, dynamism, and horror. Thematically, Quintana’s colors perfectly complement each of the various locations this book takes place in. One of the ways Quintana does this is by using colors as a way of showing story progression. For instance, in the beginning, Sinestro’s surroundings are variations on the colors of yellow and black. As soon as Luthor appears, the colors change to a more purple-blue pallet. By the end, after Sinestro joins the Legion and Lex has discovered the secret to the DC Universe, Sinestro is shown again. This time, he is wearing the ultraviolet colors of Lex Luthor; a fitting change considering this issue is all about Lex dominating and coloring the universe in the light of his newfound philosophy.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – “Justice League #5” delivers another solid issue – this time from the villain’s perspective. Between Tynion scripting an excellent science fiction tale with just enough super villain philosophy to make it interesting and the beautifully thematic the Mahke/Quintana artwork, this issue might just make readers afraid of Lex Luthor again.
