Justice League Vol. 6: The People vs. The Justice League show the challenges presented by the government’s and public’s perceptions of the team are more daunting than any physical fight with a villain.
Justice League Vol. 6: The People vs. The Justice League (Justice League #34–#39)
Written by Christopher Priest
Art by Pete Woods (#34–#36) / Philippe Briones (#37) / Marco Santucci (#38) / Ian Churchill (#39)
Colors by Pete Woods (#34–#36) / Gabe Eltaeb (#37) / Alex Sollazzo (#38–#39)
Published by DC Comics
It’s a narrative question that’s been presented many times: should superheroes go unchecked? Justice League Vol. 6: The People vs. The Justice League (collecting Justice League Rebirth issues #34–#39) takes a stab at it with success. It also triumphantly avoids becoming too preachy by introducing various subplots that act as obstacles in the personal lives of the Leaguers.
WARNING: Potential Spoilers
While opening with the exposition (from Alfred) that Bruce Wayne is overworked and under pressure, the team is also doing a juggling act of saving the world. It’s a daunting coordination effort, and Batman is the multi-tasker of the year—maybe even the century. However, it just takes one botched mission to turn the government and the world against you.
The inciting incident comes when the League intervenes with a hostage situation. In the ensuing chaos, Wonder Woman’s sword is taken from her and used to kill a nun. Yep, it can’t get any worse than that. Of all deaths … a nun! The backlash is immediate and the government steps in right away to formally question the League. However, the biggest enemy against the team is themselves.
It’s difficult when you’re already godly beings tasked with saving the world. It’s even more difficult when you have consciences that cause an overthinking of every problem and challenge: How far will we go to save someone? Do we help this nation or that nation? What exactly is interference? Should we use loopholes? This weight is extremely well-presented by writer Christopher Priest.
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In a true ensemble story, each character is explored, but an overall narrative has to connect everything. Priest does an excellent job in this regard. The story exemplifies this when it starts to pick up speed with a copycat. The Fan (a.k.a. Joshua Christian), a new villain, is introduced in #36. What better way to hit the team while they’re down than to impersonate one of them (Batman to be exact) and falsely show everyone that their opinions are correct. The Fan does this by framing Batman with the killing of a senator who’s been an outspoken anti-Leaguer—specifically against the Dark Knight himself.
It turns out the Fan has closer ties to the League than anyone could’ve imagined. With his most powerful ability being knowledge, the Fan’s intricate games of deception prove to be a huge hurdle in the League’s efforts to quell the public. Now, as I said before, this is where Priest’s powers of ensemble writing come to light. The team is forcibly separated and faces their own physical challenges. At the same time, another subplot emerges—Cyborg’s leadership.
The idea of Cyborg becoming the head of the Justice League is foreshadowed during the midpoint of the story arc. But it’s fulfilled in the second to last issue. Ironically, it’s Bruce’s being a true leader that makes him appoint Cyborg to become the team’s chief.
This collection of Justice League issues presents a usually overdone narrative in a fresh way. However, there are some drawbacks. Even though Priest gives each team member some time to shine, there are some Leaguers who are sort of “abandoned.” One glaring example is Superman. For these six issues, we do see the Man of Steel performing his usual heroics, but there is very little in terms of character development or a subplot. If this was the plan all along, it would’ve been better had Priest teased us with something bigger that involved the Man of Tomorrow.
Wonder Woman’s subplot seemed a bit unfinished. Diana is wracked with guilt over the terrorist incident, but the internal conflict is never really resolved or alluded to further. It would’ve been great to see something that hinted at a future finish line for this part of her story.
Overall, Priest’s tone for this collection has been impressively consistent with that of Rebirth. He was able to take a dark subject matter and still inject some optimism into it. The team proves that they’re still a cut above regular citizens in the way they objectively analyzes their own problems. Political themes always risk getting overly serious, but Priest performs a great balancing act in giving things a bit of levity.
Visually, the issues’ illustrations are big, bold, and bright—something we’ve all come to expect from DC’s Rebirth. This achievement is credited to artists Pete Woods (issues #34–#36), Philippe Briones (issue #37), Marco Santucci (issue #38), and Ian Churchill (issue #39). Woods art and colors are very fluid with nice subtle shadows. It’s a style I usually prefer as it presents the story in a more epic, cinematic fashion. That’s not to say I disliked Briones’s, Santucci’s, and Churchill’s art. The trio’s pages, paired with colors by Gabe Eltaeb (issue #37) and Alex Sollazzo (issues #38–#39), are very reminiscent of Neal Adams—vivid colors with strong shadows. Though the art from all involved are quite different, there was still a lot of cohesiveness across every issue.
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Justice League Vol. 6: The People vs. The Justice League is a great series that moves into the more political and realistic realms of superhero characterizations—dealing with the consequences of each player’s actions and also delving into their internal struggles. Priest’s portrayal of this ensemble also avoids the pitfalls of too much angst and self-loathing, something inherent in these types of stories. With a narrative that always remembers to stand up and breathe, along with some great art, this collection of issues continue DC’s very successful Rebirth initiative.
Justice League Vol. 6: The People vs. The Justice League was released on June 26, 2018 and is currently available for $14.99 at retailers and comic shops everywhere.
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