Justice League Dark #2 // Review
Diana Prince delves into the unnatural world of magic, where she learns about it’s beginning--and possible destruction--in Justice League Dark #2, written by James Tynion IV, with pencils by Alvaro Martinez Bueno, inks by Paul Fernandez, colors by Brad Anderson, letters by Rob Leigh. Previously, magic had become frantic and spells casted have been transforming into incantations unintended by sorcerers across the world. The warlocks and witches gathered together in an attempt to solve this mystery surrounding their spells, and believe that it rests on their shoulders solely.
The issue brings the heroes together as a vision gifted to Zatanna ushers her into action, and they set off to Salem Massachusetts in order to find answers. When they arrive at the Tower of Fate, Swamp Thing feels an urge to return to the Tree of Wonder and figure out what is wrong with it. Upon returning, he’s confronted by Constantine. Dr. Fate brings Zatanna, Wonder Woman, Dr. Langstrom, and Bobo into the Tower of Fate, but will only speak with Wonder Woman and Zatanna about the issue at hand as they truly believe in order. The Lord of Order tells the two women a tale about the beginning of magic, the creation of the relics, and that a threat is in fact coming.
The story places Wonder Woman in with character’s she isn’t that familiar with, and it’s rather interesting to see how she interacts with the rest of them. Also, there’s a glimpse into Diana’s past, something that leaves readers wondering about and hoping that it will become fruitful. As with any Justice League story, there’s always a fair amount of characters to balance, and Tynion IV does a great job of giving each of them powerful moments, along with keeping them true to themselves. A lot of characters are involved in this story, and, though it can be quite irksome to try and keep track of what each member of the cast is doing, their actions and words seem to serve the great purpose of pushing the story forward or adding more mystery to the plot.
Martinez Bueno’s art seemed rudimentary at moments, as there were panels where characters just lacked any sort of detail in their face or definition in objects. There were strong depictions of Swamp Thing and other characters when enlarged, and the detail became richer. The coloring and inking by Anderson and Fernandez spanned across the spectrum, from dark and moody pages to vibrant and vivid, which is always nice to have to reflect and change up the mood of the comic.
By the end, there seemed to be a lot thrown around in this one issue. The story travels from past to present, and, while in the present, it follows the characters as they diverge on their own paths as they don’t seem to stay together as a group. This new combination of heroes does seem intriguing, and could offer a different dynamic that’ll be exciting to look forward to. It’s just the beginning, and they’re definitely fattening up the story for there to be plenty of more to come.
