Come for the kiss. Stay for the drama. Justice League #12 features the much hyped kiss between Superman and Wonder Woman but this issue packs a ton of other great moments and leaves me wanting more.
Most non-comic book readers have been upset about Lois Lane getting ditched. Most of them don’t know about the rebooted New 52 continuity. Wonder Woman’s great love gets a world of hurt in this story. League government liaison Steve Trevor is the poor guy who gets dumped then fired by the Amazon princess.
This story may be remembered as the issue that brought Clark and Diana together but the team nearly rips apart. The new villain Graves uses his powers to torment the League with ghosts of their pasts.
The aftermath of the battle is the best part of the story. One member quits. One member makes a play for leadership. All of them are under fire from the country they’re trying to protect thanks to the villain’s manipulations.
Jim Lee is acclaimed for his beautiful art, muscled heroes, gorgeous heroines and big screen action. I have to point out the heartbreaking anguish of Diana, the battered Steve Trevor and Superman’s desperate fear when he thinks he might lose Diana.
The best part of the story is after the great showdown with the new villain. The fallout of the fight is one standout moment after another. Lee draws the hell out of big fight sequences but his best work in this issue is when he’s showing the emotionally beaten Diana leave Steve for Superman.
The final pages show the New 52 debut of a character with her own agenda for the Justice League, the threat of Graves is not over and the fractures within the team will shake out into huge conflicts in upcoming issues. I came for the super kiss. Johns and Lee have me seduced by what’s next.
By Editor