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Justice League (2018)
Justice League, Vol. 2: Graveyard of Gods
In this second Justice League collection, Hawkgirl takes wing against Legion of Doom leader Lex Luthor; John Stewart faces off with old foe Sinestro; the Flash must run down the Still Force-empowered Gorilla Grodd; and Wonder Woman tackles the tag team of Black Manta and Cheetah—underwater! Then, in “Drowned Earth,” the Justice League is scattered across the Seven Seas, pursued by the Ocean Lords and an army of alien mercenaries. Collects Justice League #8-12, JUSTICE LEAGUE/AQUAMAN: DROWNED EARTH #1 and AQUAMAN/JUSTICE LEAGUE: DROWNED EARTH #1.
179 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 14, 2019
79 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Scott Snyder
1,780 books5,124 followersScott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 106 reviews
June 14, 2019
Snyder picks up with his Totality story and continues his thread with the Legion of Doom as they resurrect some sea gods from other planets who turn everyone in the world into fish people as part of the Drowned Earth event. I'm not sure what the Legion's plan here is. Who wants to take over a flooded world full of fish people? I'm not a huge fan of the stuff Snyder's been writing since Dark Nights: Metal. His strengths as a writer lie with individual characters, not team books. He should leave the high concept stuff to Grant Morrison or Jonathan Hickman.
I read both this and Aquaman & Justice League: Drowned Earth. This book has two additional Justice League issues that lead into Drowned Earth. The Drowned Earth event book has two additional Aquaman issues and a Titans issue. These three issues are complete filler and add nothing to the story. If I were to choose between the two books, I'd get this one. You're wasting your money buying both as those additional tie-in issues are 100% fluff. Anything pertinent was recapped in the Justice League books.
I read both this and Aquaman & Justice League: Drowned Earth. This book has two additional Justice League issues that lead into Drowned Earth. The Drowned Earth event book has two additional Aquaman issues and a Titans issue. These three issues are complete filler and add nothing to the story. If I were to choose between the two books, I'd get this one. You're wasting your money buying both as those additional tie-in issues are 100% fluff. Anything pertinent was recapped in the Justice League books.
March 5, 2019
Crossover ruined this volume completely. What started off as a pretty fun story with good build up, turned out to be overstuffed and boring cross over with the aquaman storyline. I fell asleep reading this, enough said. Least start and art was decent. 2 out of 5.
August 15, 2019
Volume Two of Snyder's Justice League started off well. But as the issue advanced the quality of the story and the artwork declined. Never to the point of making it awful, but in comparison to the first volume this was a far more pedestrian effort.
Luthor and his Legion of Doom are trying to unlock the Seven powers to release Perpetua from the Source Wall. Meanwhile, Sea Gods from other planes of existence are rising. Apparently, Poseidon pissed off these other Sea Gods and trapped them, now they are free. This part of the story is weak. It isn't awful, but nothing amazing. Gist? Sea Gods flood the Earth, JL fights back, Batman is still crippled and Aquaman helps in the fight to raise Atlantis.
Sounds weird? It sort of is. Sadly the art follows the story in the decline. The smooth artwork of the first volume still exists in that first issue, but then far more mediocre artists take over. Too bad.
All in all, this was a good read. Nothing amazing but not awful either. 3 Stars.
Luthor and his Legion of Doom are trying to unlock the Seven powers to release Perpetua from the Source Wall. Meanwhile, Sea Gods from other planes of existence are rising. Apparently, Poseidon pissed off these other Sea Gods and trapped them, now they are free. This part of the story is weak. It isn't awful, but nothing amazing. Gist? Sea Gods flood the Earth, JL fights back, Batman is still crippled and Aquaman helps in the fight to raise Atlantis.
Sounds weird? It sort of is. Sadly the art follows the story in the decline. The smooth artwork of the first volume still exists in that first issue, but then far more mediocre artists take over. Too bad.
All in all, this was a good read. Nothing amazing but not awful either. 3 Stars.
August 11, 2019
Man, what a serious drop in quality.
The story here continues Lex Luthor's quest to acquire the "dark energies" of the universe, but these next two energies related to Aquaman and Wonder Woman made little sense to me. It turns into one of those stories where impossible odds are met with deus ex machina left and right. What you end up with is an almost inscrutable story about space-sea alien gods with very few actual stakes.
Can I also say, at the end of the story I don't even know what the two new energies are? They were at least clearly the Still Force and Invisible Spectrum in the first volume. Are these just life and death? Who knows? Frankly, at the end of this volume, who cares? Luthor's knob is lit up with two more colours and the story will move on.
Also, the art is painfully obnoxious in this volume. It changes all over the place between Jorge Jimenez and, later on, Frazer Irving. I know everyone doesn't love Irving--I happen to be a fan--but he is an exceptionally strange choice because he changes the visual language of the book so dramatically that it only complicates an already muddled story. Put simply, if you're going to have multiple artists on a single book let them at least be similar.
In any case, a really weak arc that crosses over with the main Aquaman book. I'll be going back for volume 3, but if that seems to stink I'll likely drop the book.
The story here continues Lex Luthor's quest to acquire the "dark energies" of the universe, but these next two energies related to Aquaman and Wonder Woman made little sense to me. It turns into one of those stories where impossible odds are met with deus ex machina left and right. What you end up with is an almost inscrutable story about space-sea alien gods with very few actual stakes.
Can I also say, at the end of the story I don't even know what the two new energies are? They were at least clearly the Still Force and Invisible Spectrum in the first volume. Are these just life and death? Who knows? Frankly, at the end of this volume, who cares? Luthor's knob is lit up with two more colours and the story will move on.
Also, the art is painfully obnoxious in this volume. It changes all over the place between Jorge Jimenez and, later on, Frazer Irving. I know everyone doesn't love Irving--I happen to be a fan--but he is an exceptionally strange choice because he changes the visual language of the book so dramatically that it only complicates an already muddled story. Put simply, if you're going to have multiple artists on a single book let them at least be similar.
In any case, a really weak arc that crosses over with the main Aquaman book. I'll be going back for volume 3, but if that seems to stink I'll likely drop the book.
May 18, 2019
There's a lot of crossover between this and Aquaman & Justice League: Drowned Earth, to the point where there are only two issues in this trade that aren't in that one.
Issue #8 pits the Batman Who Laughs against the Legion Of Doom, and you only have to look at Scott Snyder's other Batman stories to know that he has grand plans for the character. His appearance here just shows we've not even scratched the surface of his plans, while Lex Luthor's seem almost inconsequential in comparison.
Then issue #9 is a standalone story that tries to fix the destruction of the Moon from the previous volume, thankfully, which has some more Batman-is-a-douche moments, so if you like those, you'll like that.
The rest of the volume is the Drowned Earth crossover, minus the Aquaman and Titans issues collected in the main trade, which are fantastic, and I've covered in my review of that book.
Honestly, I picked this up because not having complete spine runs on my bookshelf annoys me - if you're not getting the standalone Drowned Earth trade though, this one works just as well, because the tie-ins aren't necessary to understand the story overall.
Issue #8 pits the Batman Who Laughs against the Legion Of Doom, and you only have to look at Scott Snyder's other Batman stories to know that he has grand plans for the character. His appearance here just shows we've not even scratched the surface of his plans, while Lex Luthor's seem almost inconsequential in comparison.
Then issue #9 is a standalone story that tries to fix the destruction of the Moon from the previous volume, thankfully, which has some more Batman-is-a-douche moments, so if you like those, you'll like that.
The rest of the volume is the Drowned Earth crossover, minus the Aquaman and Titans issues collected in the main trade, which are fantastic, and I've covered in my review of that book.
Honestly, I picked this up because not having complete spine runs on my bookshelf annoys me - if you're not getting the standalone Drowned Earth trade though, this one works just as well, because the tie-ins aren't necessary to understand the story overall.
October 27, 2021
he team get together for training and some off time dealing with stuff while Clark is trying to fix the moon and Diana and Arthur are doing their own stuff and something with Poseidon and things to come. Some great character moments and we learn a prelude to BWOL and Lex maybe teaming up? And there are some great moments between Superman and Batman and I love the bond between them and the rest of the story is connected to drowned earth and the invasion of the sea gods and how Aquaman fights them which is a decent read and I love the ending and the mysteries being built here! So a definite recommendation for sure!
August 29, 2019
Basically, sea gods from space come to Earth and wreck it. Overall, I would say that the art is better than the story. The story itself doesn't make much of an impression.
May 28, 2019
Started off strong But then became too much. I think too many ideas were thrown amongst the smaller scale story. The change in artists also threw things off a little.
June 5, 2019
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Ever since Scott Snyder started his dark multiverse with Dark Nights: Metal, the DC universe has been in the midst of great change that would pull back together scattered pieces of its history while scorching the superficial story-telling gimmicks that have served as restraints to original ideas so far. Now helming the Justice League run, his efforts to change the status quo continues to grow strong until his latest, risky crossover event led to some contrived ideas that showed no sign of flow for readers. Where things turned out unacceptable is in the way they have been collected for fans to read and enjoy as it hints at money-hungry decisions at the cost of coherency. While the latest volume in his run might have a shaky foundation, there still remains some hope—if his resume impresses you already—that Scott Snyder and friends will find their footing in the stories to come.
What is Justice League: Graveyard of Gods about? Picking up where it was left off in Justice League: The Totality, the story explores criminal mastermind Lex Luthor’s plan to assemble the Legion of Doom. As he seeks help from an unlikely and dangerous individual, stranger and deadlier foes slither to the surface from the darkest abysses of the sea as they look to take down Earth’s greatest heroes in an all-out assault. With both sources of threat working parallelly to take down Aquaman, Wonder Woman and the Justice League, the life of our heroes just became so much more complicated but one thing’s for sure, they need to stop them from reaching their goals before all hope is washed away. This trade paperback collects Justice League #8-12, Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth Special #1 and Aquaman/Justice League: Drowned Earth Special #1.
Unfortunately, this volume will have to take the penalty that I didn’t attribute to Justice League/Aquaman: Drowned Earth. With only two issues (Justice League #8 and #9) that are different from the crossover event collection, there is nothing but disappointment in DC Comics that emerges from the depths of my soul. To reprint the same issues that were part of the crossover event into this volume and release it a month later is shameful and was never a marketing move that I approved of since the beginning of the New 52 era back in 2011. As if things couldn’t get worse, the consistency in quality and the continuity in story-telling are both poor or absent throughout the volume. Nothing about this collection helps the reader follow the story as everything becomes hectic and chaotic with countless ideas being explored simultaneously.
There is a silver lining to this volume and it’s Francis Manapul’s artwork. Although he isn’t responsible for most of the volume, his work continues to work fantastically with Scott Snyder’s and James Tynion IV’s wordy story-telling style. The colour palette used to bring this vibrant universe to life and his sharp and edgy designs privileged to convey the interdimensional and godlike dimensions of these heroes are impressive. Unfortunately, it is the inclusion of multiple other writers and artists due to the crossover event included within this volume that we’re graced with a heavy and indigestible story-arc that tackles too much in too little time with too many creative visions. For casual readers, following Snyder’s Morrisonesque DC revolution will be a hassle that might be too costly to pursue.
Justice League: Graveyard of Gods is a poor trade paperback with redundant content that taints this series’ potential to revolutionize the DC universe as heroes face a coalition of evil forces with unforgiving principles guiding their ways.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
December 18, 2018
Once again, Scott "paid by the word" Snyder proves that he doesn't know how pictures work by literally explaining everything that is happening in his panels (I mean, literally. There is one panel where someone tells someone else to "look up". In the next panel, accompanied by a picture of her looking up, Scott tells us: "She looks up".).
So this volume was a clusterfuck. In issue one, Lex is having a conversation with someone. In issue two we get a tour of all of the Justice Leaguer's rooms in the Hall of Justice. The rest of this was just chunks of a tie-in event. I thought DC pulled event issues out and put them in their own books? This reminded me of Bendis' Guardians of the Galaxy run that was almost nothing but tie-ins, which made it almost incomprehensible if you didn't buy into all of the other junk they were selling.
So this volume was a clusterfuck. In issue one, Lex is having a conversation with someone. In issue two we get a tour of all of the Justice Leaguer's rooms in the Hall of Justice. The rest of this was just chunks of a tie-in event. I thought DC pulled event issues out and put them in their own books? This reminded me of Bendis' Guardians of the Galaxy run that was almost nothing but tie-ins, which made it almost incomprehensible if you didn't buy into all of the other junk they were selling.
April 13, 2019
Basic plot: the League protects the Totality as they battle alien sea gods and the Legion of Doom.
The art was good, in different styles as different artists worked on the issues. The art for Wonder Woman and Aquaman's part was particularly well done. The story was a bit disjointed due to the nature of crossovers and issues of other books I don't have access to, but largely followable. Overall, very good.
The art was good, in different styles as different artists worked on the issues. The art for Wonder Woman and Aquaman's part was particularly well done. The story was a bit disjointed due to the nature of crossovers and issues of other books I don't have access to, but largely followable. Overall, very good.
December 21, 2019
After the overstuffed attention-seeking of Volume 1, Scott Snyder and pals’ Justice League settles down a bit with a basically comprehensible cosmic threat story centred on Aquaman and some alien ocean gods called things like Admiral Tyyde. A step in the right direction, though the overarching metastory is still a collect-the-plot-keys plod. Gains a star for some imaginative art on the scenes inside the titular Graveyard.
April 20, 2021
2021 Re-read: I can't believe I liked Graveyard of Gods better than Totality and Hawkworld during my first attempt at Scott Snyder's Justice League series. This book is boring as hell! The planet is drowned and all humanity are turned to monsters and none of it matters. The only item of consequence is that Aquaman is sent adrift, which is where we find him in Aquaman Vol 1: Unspoken Water. Otherwise, Graveyard of Gods is just boring, inconsequential water fights and Poseidon ramblings. Two stars!
Old Review: Graveyard of Gods is a wild improvement on Justice League, Vol. 1: The Totality, although that first title in the series was such a tire fire that any incremental change would have been an improvement. The art is still the main reason to read Graveyard of Gods - the plot is classic "we need to find X so that we can defeat Y" ad nauseum. The Totality nonsense from the first volume has mercifully slipped to the back-burner. Instead, we get a ferocious battle against ancient sea gods. It's a relatively straightforward fight, so Graveyard of Gods is enjoyable on a pure comic book level, unlike The Totality, which was the reading equivalent of sticking your head in a blender.
Old Review: Graveyard of Gods is a wild improvement on Justice League, Vol. 1: The Totality, although that first title in the series was such a tire fire that any incremental change would have been an improvement. The art is still the main reason to read Graveyard of Gods - the plot is classic "we need to find X so that we can defeat Y" ad nauseum. The Totality nonsense from the first volume has mercifully slipped to the back-burner. Instead, we get a ferocious battle against ancient sea gods. It's a relatively straightforward fight, so Graveyard of Gods is enjoyable on a pure comic book level, unlike The Totality, which was the reading equivalent of sticking your head in a blender.
September 5, 2019
Unfortunately, I either don't remember or didn't finish all of Volume 1 so there were a few things I was confused about when this starts off. Snyder continues with his ramifications from earlier Justice League exploits. This time he focuses on Aquaman's "corner" of the world. Snyder does a decent job of creating depth (ahem) to the new villains, injecting their backgrounds into Atlantean lore. This gives them a mythological feel, as if they've been there for a long time and we just didn't know about them. The story feels sufficiently grandiose and epic, although this is weighed down by Snyder's long winded speeches and caption explanations. The art is beautiful, especially Manapul's (although I disliked his coloring), but the artist changes nearly each issue.
'A' for effort but it still falls short as an engaging story. The ending isn't quite what you would expect, but it does feel as if it was wrapped up fairly quickly.
'A' for effort but it still falls short as an engaging story. The ending isn't quite what you would expect, but it does feel as if it was wrapped up fairly quickly.
June 23, 2019
Graveyard of Gods starts off with a few procedural issues, as the JLA talks and interacts and the Legion of Doom plots, and we learn more about the fun seven forces and the characters. There's not a lot of plot here, but it's got all the elements that have made Snyder's JL interesting.
But then we're bogged down with the long, mostly dull Drowned Earth plot. Alien gods take over the Earth, turning everyone into fish people. The worst part about it is that there's no nuance in the first 90% of the story, just a lot of pointless fighting. Nuance does suddenly appear near the end, and it nicely twists the story in interesting ways, but it's too little too late.
But then we're bogged down with the long, mostly dull Drowned Earth plot. Alien gods take over the Earth, turning everyone into fish people. The worst part about it is that there's no nuance in the first 90% of the story, just a lot of pointless fighting. Nuance does suddenly appear near the end, and it nicely twists the story in interesting ways, but it's too little too late.
February 17, 2025
If last book Luthor found ways to deal with the Flash & Green Lantern, this one found ways to muck up Aquaman & Wonder Woman's lives, basically disrupt the magical & mythical side of the DC universe.
Since one of the key things about finding out if there's life on other planets is the presence of water, it stands to reason that there would be seas & oceans...and those seas & oceans would have gods who rule over them.
SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DEAD SEA GODS FROM OTHER PLANETS COME BACK FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF THE GODS?
Lots.
& lots.
& lots.
of water!
But not just water, freaky magic water! And freaky beasts that live in the freaky magic water!
Can MAH MAN Arthur Curry defeat this aquatic assault on Earth while learning to balance the powers of life & death that the oceans provide?
...
Aaaaand Wonder Woman's here too just to plead to Poseidon too. Really, she got short-staffed just so she could be literal deus ex machina in a lot of situations...
Tense book full of action since the flood that the space sea gods bring has the tendency to unwillingly transform people into fishy fiends, so a handful of heroes have to hold out against the cursed waters and not hurt their friends & innocent civilians. Mystical relics from a mythical Atlantean are also in play with both bad guys & good guys fighting for its control. And I really need to catch up on modern Batman continuity cuz why is that lil Starro in a jar calling Batman DAD?!
Since one of the key things about finding out if there's life on other planets is the presence of water, it stands to reason that there would be seas & oceans...and those seas & oceans would have gods who rule over them.
SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DEAD SEA GODS FROM OTHER PLANETS COME BACK FROM THE GRAVEYARD OF THE GODS?
Lots.
& lots.
& lots.
of water!
But not just water, freaky magic water! And freaky beasts that live in the freaky magic water!
Can MAH MAN Arthur Curry defeat this aquatic assault on Earth while learning to balance the powers of life & death that the oceans provide?
...
Aaaaand Wonder Woman's here too just to plead to Poseidon too. Really, she got short-staffed just so she could be literal deus ex machina in a lot of situations...
Tense book full of action since the flood that the space sea gods bring has the tendency to unwillingly transform people into fishy fiends, so a handful of heroes have to hold out against the cursed waters and not hurt their friends & innocent civilians. Mystical relics from a mythical Atlantean are also in play with both bad guys & good guys fighting for its control. And I really need to catch up on modern Batman continuity cuz why is that lil Starro in a jar calling Batman DAD?!
September 23, 2022
This volume is pretty massive in scope. So massive in fact, that the whole story is not contained to this book only. There is also a "Drowned Earth" volume that goes further into the story that is addressed here. I kind of wish they would've combined both into just one volume, but I'm sure that's editorial mandate at work there.
So the legion of doom has made a deal with these old intergalactic ocean gods (hahaha... comics, am I right?) to basically flood the entire world and start anew. And it's up to the JL - and more importantly Aquaman and Mera, to find a way to stop them. I thought this was really entertaining. From the different teams splitting up to do different goals, to the interaction between the villains and the JL, this volume really had a good adventure/action vibe going for it. And the art on the book was pretty fantastic. Manuapul handles a few of the issues - and they look damn good - but the other artists are very much able to carry their load as well.
There are some problems with the story itself however. Things are not really explained, things are over explained, some things happen that make no sense (see: superman with eye patch and superman with leather outfit), but the scope of the story is big enough to allow you to forget that enough to enjoy the tale.
Highly recommended for fans of the JL.
So the legion of doom has made a deal with these old intergalactic ocean gods (hahaha... comics, am I right?) to basically flood the entire world and start anew. And it's up to the JL - and more importantly Aquaman and Mera, to find a way to stop them. I thought this was really entertaining. From the different teams splitting up to do different goals, to the interaction between the villains and the JL, this volume really had a good adventure/action vibe going for it. And the art on the book was pretty fantastic. Manuapul handles a few of the issues - and they look damn good - but the other artists are very much able to carry their load as well.
There are some problems with the story itself however. Things are not really explained, things are over explained, some things happen that make no sense (see: superman with eye patch and superman with leather outfit), but the scope of the story is big enough to allow you to forget that enough to enjoy the tale.
Highly recommended for fans of the JL.
October 24, 2019
If you want a coherent story , this isn't it . If you want action , stunning art , lots of surprises , and the authors having fun with the characters ... This is it
This felt like a big scale event really , and I guess when the DC universe's best and strongest are forming a team , anything less than big scale would be dissatisfactory . The fact that the legion of doom are a recurring element and both the volumes connecting to each other makes it an intriguing experimentation . That , for now , I sure am enjoying .
I am curious to see how return of starman impacts , and of course , Batman's new kid .
The book falters in its length , Snyder insists of making multiple long tirades filled with exposition . This makes it all look a bit too dragged and dull . I couldn't wait for the book to end , and yet it never ended . I absolutely felt the length of the book .
Meanwhile Joker's treatment has been disappointing so far and the book being so heavy on Aquaman was also a bit claustrophobic .
Either ways , I still find this JL run better than the last 2 (new 52 and Rebirth) runs , so here's to further entertaining books ahead
This felt like a big scale event really , and I guess when the DC universe's best and strongest are forming a team , anything less than big scale would be dissatisfactory . The fact that the legion of doom are a recurring element and both the volumes connecting to each other makes it an intriguing experimentation . That , for now , I sure am enjoying .
I am curious to see how return of starman impacts , and of course , Batman's new kid .
The book falters in its length , Snyder insists of making multiple long tirades filled with exposition . This makes it all look a bit too dragged and dull . I couldn't wait for the book to end , and yet it never ended . I absolutely felt the length of the book .
Meanwhile Joker's treatment has been disappointing so far and the book being so heavy on Aquaman was also a bit claustrophobic .
Either ways , I still find this JL run better than the last 2 (new 52 and Rebirth) runs , so here's to further entertaining books ahead
January 2, 2022
Bello, eh.
Ho apprezzato le interazioni dei vari membri della League e i vari attimi di introspezione e approfondimento.
Pero, cavolo, quando l’azione si fa concitata Snyder si perde sempre in quel risolvere le situazioni più drammatiche grazie a espedienti che semplicemente il lettore deve prendere per buoni.
E continuo a pensare che sia una scorciatoia troppo facile per risolvere una storia.
Non può essere un marchio di fabbrica.
Nota molto negativa dell’edizione: il volume dovrebbe contenere i numeri 8-12 della serie e invece si apre con Justice League #10 invece di Justice League #8, che è invece assente.
Quindi abbiamo JL 10-9-10-11-12.
L’albo nr. 8 è non pervenuto.
Grazie Panini
Ho apprezzato le interazioni dei vari membri della League e i vari attimi di introspezione e approfondimento.
Pero, cavolo, quando l’azione si fa concitata Snyder si perde sempre in quel risolvere le situazioni più drammatiche grazie a espedienti che semplicemente il lettore deve prendere per buoni.
E continuo a pensare che sia una scorciatoia troppo facile per risolvere una storia.
Non può essere un marchio di fabbrica.
Nota molto negativa dell’edizione: il volume dovrebbe contenere i numeri 8-12 della serie e invece si apre con Justice League #10 invece di Justice League #8, che è invece assente.
Quindi abbiamo JL 10-9-10-11-12.
L’albo nr. 8 è non pervenuto.
Grazie Panini
March 30, 2021
Centered on Aquaman (probably as a tie-in with the live-action film) and (to a much lesser extent) on Wonder Woman, Graveyard of Gods isn't nearly as crazy as Snyder's first volume, and feels like more of a traditional, big-picture Justice League epic. A solid story with a nice mythological tone, but it does feel a bit too long - though I'll take that over rushed - and still has some Snyder-isms I'm not quite sold on (quippy Batman and silly gratuitous bleeped-out cursing, plus for some reason they have the Justice League cosplaying as pirates by the end). (B+)
January 16, 2021
La coppia Snyder-Tynion IV è in ottima forma in questa run. Mi piace il mistero delle sette entità legate alla Totalità, ho grandi aspettative per lo scontro finale (che immagino culminerà al concludersi della gestione di Snyder). Bellissime le tavole di Manapul e di Jimenez!
December 14, 2021
An issue of rebuilding the moon where Batman sucks. A crossover with Aquaman that has some highlights, but mostly just ancient gods wanting to destroy the earth and the only way to defeat them is grabbing a couple super magical items. And then the last issue is "The villains could have the upper hand, oh wait, they're villains and they hate each other and that's why they can't win." Ugh, the laziest way for villains to be defeated.
August 4, 2023
This book is also available as "Justice league Drowned Earth" so make sure not to buy both. The majority of this book overlaps with Drowned Earth.
My review is clocked in for the book mentioned above on Goodreads.
My review is clocked in for the book mentioned above on Goodreads.
February 23, 2024
This could just be a me thing but I never like any Aquaman arcs. They’re all the same, the ocean rises, something comes from the deep, then they fix it
December 19, 2021
I liked Volume 1 of this series, and I wanted to see where it went next. This collection gets lost in the Bermuda Triangle, as we get diverted from the Totality storyline and instead everyone gets turned into a fish.
Having read several books by him now, I am beginning to wonder if Scott Snyder wants to destroy Batman as a character. Continuing from the last series, Snyder again makes Batman a straight man for jokes, which is getting tiresome. That thing has its place, but it works better in the Lego movies, where the tone and stakes are completely different.
On top of that, Batman is kind of a jerk. as he is able to get some kind of solar-powered aliens to obey his commands, presumably as a possible counter to Superman; I am not sure why, as there is no prior context for that in Snyder’s run. Batman summons the various JL members to ostensibly help Superman rather than admit (as he eventually has to) that he (Batman) can shut off the attack with a press of a button. Snyder also disabled Batman rather easily in the prior collection, which leads Batman to be confined to the Hall in this one. Thus, in Snyder’s hands Batman is an ineffectual, overly serious, punchline.
Meanwhile, some of the character building and empathy from the initial series gets lost here. I am not sure where Cyborg is, and while John Stewart and Martian Manhunter provided some interest in the prior series, they work separately and their relationship and problems are shelved. The other Justice League characters come off as one-dimensional and uninteresting, as Snyder can’t transcend the archetypal nature of DC’s core pantheon. Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl most particularly suffer from this flatness in his hands; they are both warriors and feel rather similar. That said, we do get a tedious, overly long dialogue between Wonder Woman and Aquaman on how everyone is decorating their dorm rooms in the Hall.
At the same time, the Legion of Doom recedes off panel for several issues. However, James Tynion IV does try to give them some intrigue and development in their own focused stories. These continue to be the strongest elements in this collection, as they not only flesh out these villains but also lay out the coming threat. The Legion shows up later, and while how they survived the floods and teleported into the Hall of Justice isn't clear, this scene does bring into focus that a disabled Batman was left alone in this crisis to guard some of the most powerful items in the universe.
Altogether, much of the dynamism in terms of plot and character of Totality is abandoned here. I hope the series returns to the seven energies and Lex Luthor in the next collection. In lieu of that, given the resolution to the blowing up of the moon, will the Justice League similarly help repair all of Earth after the flood, and even if so, how much will this cost humanity? (Thankfully, nothing; it’s magical water, you see). Snyder keeps upping the stakes, which is admirable, but the superheroes are never given a chance of stopping it, or sometimes even contribute to these cataclysms. Snyder seems to wave it all away by saying it was a magical water, but then we saw the Eiffel Tower tipping over and the Hall collapsing in prior issues. Presumably every plant, building, and creature on Earth is magically returned to normal.
I tried to enjoy the drowned Earth angle on its own, but even this plot was lacking. We are told a number of times that Poseidon is dead, but that he can be somehow be brought back to life. Wonder Woman and Aquaman discovered a key to this graveyard by accident, and its purpose doesn’t seem like it was realized until Snyder needed it later. Wonder Woman was fortunately right where she needed to be when a villain throws Aquaman off a cliff.
Then when they do meet Poseidon, he guts Aquaman, in a great one-page illustration, and faux cliffhanger. The scene also came out of nowhere, as you might think if someone like Aquaman was going to bring you back to life, you might not stab him with your magical trident. That Poseidon may have had another intent is hinted at but not entirely clear, as James Tynion IV writes one of the issues and the continuity gets muddled. Nevertheless, if Poseidon was going to infuse Aquaman with life or something, he might have talked with him about it first, as they do spend most of an issue just talking. Ironically, Poseidon ends up giving to Aquaman the very trident he stabbed him with. And in any case, it seems the plan to rescue Poseidon is abandoned, despite all the build up.
Then Black Manta says that he brought the three space sea gods to Earth, when we were told earlier that they came as a consequence of Poseidon’s actions ages ago. Meanwhile, Mera, Flash, and Superman are looking for a weapon that was used by an ancient Atlantean to get rid of the gods like he, Arion, did previously; how this fits in with the other heroes’ plan to return Poseidon to life isn’t clear. There are the usual tedious dialogues that end up explaining nothing and confusing things further.
Add to this a tendency of Snyder, in the style of Grant Morrison, to add more stuff because “more is better,” but it ends up adding layers upon layers of meaning that end up detracting from other things. So here’s a list of various items that serve as MacGuffins: a ship in a bottle; a big key; a conch; Arion’s crown; the Tear of Extinction (not sure who shed these tears or who they rendered extinct, but it becomes clear that these tears are one of the 7 energies and are lethal to gods, though all of this is mentioned almost as an afterthought); Jarro; the Totality (oh yeah, that); Poseidon’s trident; a bone crown; the clarion. When there is a ton of items like these, none of them becomes particularly special and some of the significance of each one gets lost. This is on top of the usual superhero stuff like Diana’s gear, or Bruce (despite his broken arms and legs) somehow being able to get into one of Luthor’s old battle suits leftover at the Hall.
Other elements of the narrative compound this problem. For one, there are a lot of flashbacks that aren’t needed as they add nothing. For example, we get a long flashback about Arion when we are told so much about him over and over again by the characters themselves. It was strange to see so much dialogue devoted to this dead person’s past actions, as we find out that these three sea gods have invaded Earth before and lost.
Similarly, I am not sure why we needed a flashback about Black Manta, but this and similar flashbacks about Arthur or Mera are cheap ways to get the audience to care about the character with a page or two of exposition. It creates emotional investment in the characters without the writers having to figure out how to achieve that effect within main narrative. In other words, emotional investment to characters should arise organically from a good story, without resorting to flashbacks.
No doubt, the flashback technique did work in some great stories in the past, like for Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne and many origin stories. But now every superhero comic seems to use this technique. It is especially cloying, as is so often the case, that these flashbacks usually involve some childhood lesson, defeat, or trauma. I am not sure how true to life this is, except perhaps that it does speak to the belief of young people that whatever they are suffering right now will surely haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Unfortunately, this technique doesn’t always work as intended or isn’t well timed, especially in a team comic like this one. The fact that they are used so often in this series shows that creators aren’t using good judgment about whether a flashback may be well suited here. Moreover, the choice of characters who have flashbacks — Arthur, Mera, Black Manta, and the Arion narrative — underscore that this collection is focused on the sea dwellers.
Even with such techniques, Black Manta’s double betrayal at the end was not adequately explained by anything before this. It is not clear what he had to gain from his actions, and it weakens the whole notion of the Legion of Doom if one of its members could act in this way on a whim. (And I still don’t see what Joker is getting out of all this running around with the Legion).
I also don’t understand why Aquaman attempted to talk to the three gods in the middle of the battle, and why they, in turn, were so eager to listen and agree. It is difficult to invest oneself emotionally in characters like these who don’t act like real beings. These characters just do whatever Snyder wants because of his own whims. It seems that all of these characters acted this way, often contrary to their own interests or the course of preceding events, just because Snyder could not think of a better way to end the story.
Overall, then, the entire story arc felt purposeless and random, and I wasn’t sure what the heroes were doing from issue to issue. The art team did do a stellar and generally consistent job in rendering the action, as is typical for DC in the contemporary era. The bottom line is that this probably best read as promotional material for the Aquaman movie released in the same year. It definitely felt more like “Aquaman and Friends” than the “Justice League.”
Having read several books by him now, I am beginning to wonder if Scott Snyder wants to destroy Batman as a character. Continuing from the last series, Snyder again makes Batman a straight man for jokes, which is getting tiresome. That thing has its place, but it works better in the Lego movies, where the tone and stakes are completely different.
On top of that, Batman is kind of a jerk. as he is able to get some kind of solar-powered aliens to obey his commands, presumably as a possible counter to Superman; I am not sure why, as there is no prior context for that in Snyder’s run. Batman summons the various JL members to ostensibly help Superman rather than admit (as he eventually has to) that he (Batman) can shut off the attack with a press of a button. Snyder also disabled Batman rather easily in the prior collection, which leads Batman to be confined to the Hall in this one. Thus, in Snyder’s hands Batman is an ineffectual, overly serious, punchline.
Meanwhile, some of the character building and empathy from the initial series gets lost here. I am not sure where Cyborg is, and while John Stewart and Martian Manhunter provided some interest in the prior series, they work separately and their relationship and problems are shelved. The other Justice League characters come off as one-dimensional and uninteresting, as Snyder can’t transcend the archetypal nature of DC’s core pantheon. Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl most particularly suffer from this flatness in his hands; they are both warriors and feel rather similar. That said, we do get a tedious, overly long dialogue between Wonder Woman and Aquaman on how everyone is decorating their dorm rooms in the Hall.
At the same time, the Legion of Doom recedes off panel for several issues. However, James Tynion IV does try to give them some intrigue and development in their own focused stories. These continue to be the strongest elements in this collection, as they not only flesh out these villains but also lay out the coming threat. The Legion shows up later, and while how they survived the floods and teleported into the Hall of Justice isn't clear, this scene does bring into focus that a disabled Batman was left alone in this crisis to guard some of the most powerful items in the universe.
Altogether, much of the dynamism in terms of plot and character of Totality is abandoned here. I hope the series returns to the seven energies and Lex Luthor in the next collection. In lieu of that, given the resolution to the blowing up of the moon, will the Justice League similarly help repair all of Earth after the flood, and even if so, how much will this cost humanity? (Thankfully, nothing; it’s magical water, you see). Snyder keeps upping the stakes, which is admirable, but the superheroes are never given a chance of stopping it, or sometimes even contribute to these cataclysms. Snyder seems to wave it all away by saying it was a magical water, but then we saw the Eiffel Tower tipping over and the Hall collapsing in prior issues. Presumably every plant, building, and creature on Earth is magically returned to normal.
I tried to enjoy the drowned Earth angle on its own, but even this plot was lacking. We are told a number of times that Poseidon is dead, but that he can be somehow be brought back to life. Wonder Woman and Aquaman discovered a key to this graveyard by accident, and its purpose doesn’t seem like it was realized until Snyder needed it later. Wonder Woman was fortunately right where she needed to be when a villain throws Aquaman off a cliff.
Then when they do meet Poseidon, he guts Aquaman, in a great one-page illustration, and faux cliffhanger. The scene also came out of nowhere, as you might think if someone like Aquaman was going to bring you back to life, you might not stab him with your magical trident. That Poseidon may have had another intent is hinted at but not entirely clear, as James Tynion IV writes one of the issues and the continuity gets muddled. Nevertheless, if Poseidon was going to infuse Aquaman with life or something, he might have talked with him about it first, as they do spend most of an issue just talking. Ironically, Poseidon ends up giving to Aquaman the very trident he stabbed him with. And in any case, it seems the plan to rescue Poseidon is abandoned, despite all the build up.
Then Black Manta says that he brought the three space sea gods to Earth, when we were told earlier that they came as a consequence of Poseidon’s actions ages ago. Meanwhile, Mera, Flash, and Superman are looking for a weapon that was used by an ancient Atlantean to get rid of the gods like he, Arion, did previously; how this fits in with the other heroes’ plan to return Poseidon to life isn’t clear. There are the usual tedious dialogues that end up explaining nothing and confusing things further.
Add to this a tendency of Snyder, in the style of Grant Morrison, to add more stuff because “more is better,” but it ends up adding layers upon layers of meaning that end up detracting from other things. So here’s a list of various items that serve as MacGuffins: a ship in a bottle; a big key; a conch; Arion’s crown; the Tear of Extinction (not sure who shed these tears or who they rendered extinct, but it becomes clear that these tears are one of the 7 energies and are lethal to gods, though all of this is mentioned almost as an afterthought); Jarro; the Totality (oh yeah, that); Poseidon’s trident; a bone crown; the clarion. When there is a ton of items like these, none of them becomes particularly special and some of the significance of each one gets lost. This is on top of the usual superhero stuff like Diana’s gear, or Bruce (despite his broken arms and legs) somehow being able to get into one of Luthor’s old battle suits leftover at the Hall.
Other elements of the narrative compound this problem. For one, there are a lot of flashbacks that aren’t needed as they add nothing. For example, we get a long flashback about Arion when we are told so much about him over and over again by the characters themselves. It was strange to see so much dialogue devoted to this dead person’s past actions, as we find out that these three sea gods have invaded Earth before and lost.
Similarly, I am not sure why we needed a flashback about Black Manta, but this and similar flashbacks about Arthur or Mera are cheap ways to get the audience to care about the character with a page or two of exposition. It creates emotional investment in the characters without the writers having to figure out how to achieve that effect within main narrative. In other words, emotional investment to characters should arise organically from a good story, without resorting to flashbacks.
No doubt, the flashback technique did work in some great stories in the past, like for Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne and many origin stories. But now every superhero comic seems to use this technique. It is especially cloying, as is so often the case, that these flashbacks usually involve some childhood lesson, defeat, or trauma. I am not sure how true to life this is, except perhaps that it does speak to the belief of young people that whatever they are suffering right now will surely haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Unfortunately, this technique doesn’t always work as intended or isn’t well timed, especially in a team comic like this one. The fact that they are used so often in this series shows that creators aren’t using good judgment about whether a flashback may be well suited here. Moreover, the choice of characters who have flashbacks — Arthur, Mera, Black Manta, and the Arion narrative — underscore that this collection is focused on the sea dwellers.
Even with such techniques, Black Manta’s double betrayal at the end was not adequately explained by anything before this. It is not clear what he had to gain from his actions, and it weakens the whole notion of the Legion of Doom if one of its members could act in this way on a whim. (And I still don’t see what Joker is getting out of all this running around with the Legion).
I also don’t understand why Aquaman attempted to talk to the three gods in the middle of the battle, and why they, in turn, were so eager to listen and agree. It is difficult to invest oneself emotionally in characters like these who don’t act like real beings. These characters just do whatever Snyder wants because of his own whims. It seems that all of these characters acted this way, often contrary to their own interests or the course of preceding events, just because Snyder could not think of a better way to end the story.
Overall, then, the entire story arc felt purposeless and random, and I wasn’t sure what the heroes were doing from issue to issue. The art team did do a stellar and generally consistent job in rendering the action, as is typical for DC in the contemporary era. The bottom line is that this probably best read as promotional material for the Aquaman movie released in the same year. It definitely felt more like “Aquaman and Friends” than the “Justice League.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2020
I really liked the first two issues of this volume. The sequence with the Legion of Doom and The Batman Who Laughs was good. The Hall of Justice story was the first time I had seen a Justice League comic that actually shows us how big the league is; while also showing it's inner workings outside of saving the world. These issues really had me excited for Scott Snyder's next chapter in his "Doom" story.
But then the rest of the volume is a tie in to Aquaman "Drowned Earth". Which was honestly a slow, confusing, anticlimactic mess. I didn't see how it worked with Lex Luthor's plan really. I mean what did he gain by surrendering the Earth to 3 space sea gods? What were the two new hidden forces that he unlocked? Why did Superman have a "S" shield eyepatch?
The story did have its moments of the Snyder that I love. The flashbacks that ambiguiously build our character motivations. The creative use of language to build a mythos. And a story driven by dialog. This volume had quite a bit better dialog than the last. Still a little heavy with the one-liners and quips, but he seems to slowly phasing out of the faceless narrator stuff.
Overall I gave it 2 stars because compared to "The Totality" it was just a bit of a flop story wise.
SECOND READ THRU: *spoilers*
Still a major disappoint. As soon as the story shifts to "Drowned Earth" it loses a clear narrative. It never really connects to the Doom story arc in a concise manner so you don't understand which of the seven cosmic forces are being unlocked. My best guess is they're the Life Force and the Tear of Extinction. But I don't see how they were locked away prior to the Source Wall breaking, if Aquaman had the Life Force within him all along and the Tear of Extinction is a relic waiting to be discovered.
Another issue with the story being so disconnected from the Doom arc, is that somehow there are two keys to the Graveyard of the Gods and Tears of Extinction. In "The Totality" the Legion of Doom gets the ones from the undersea research facility, and then in issue 10 the Justice League just starts "looking for" the key to the Graveyard of the Gods? And then Mera retrieves the Tear from some bones in issue 12, even though Cheetah and Black Manta already used it. At no point is this addressed and in fact there are even scenes where they state there's only one version of these relics.
The issues following issue 10 are not completely awful and in fact there are some parts that try to turn this shipwreck around. But without a better foundation and explanation of the unlocked forces the finale becomes tedious and confusing.
But then the rest of the volume is a tie in to Aquaman "Drowned Earth". Which was honestly a slow, confusing, anticlimactic mess. I didn't see how it worked with Lex Luthor's plan really. I mean what did he gain by surrendering the Earth to 3 space sea gods? What were the two new hidden forces that he unlocked? Why did Superman have a "S" shield eyepatch?
The story did have its moments of the Snyder that I love. The flashbacks that ambiguiously build our character motivations. The creative use of language to build a mythos. And a story driven by dialog. This volume had quite a bit better dialog than the last. Still a little heavy with the one-liners and quips, but he seems to slowly phasing out of the faceless narrator stuff.
Overall I gave it 2 stars because compared to "The Totality" it was just a bit of a flop story wise.
SECOND READ THRU: *spoilers*
Still a major disappoint. As soon as the story shifts to "Drowned Earth" it loses a clear narrative. It never really connects to the Doom story arc in a concise manner so you don't understand which of the seven cosmic forces are being unlocked. My best guess is they're the Life Force and the Tear of Extinction. But I don't see how they were locked away prior to the Source Wall breaking, if Aquaman had the Life Force within him all along and the Tear of Extinction is a relic waiting to be discovered.
Another issue with the story being so disconnected from the Doom arc, is that somehow there are two keys to the Graveyard of the Gods and Tears of Extinction. In "The Totality" the Legion of Doom gets the ones from the undersea research facility, and then in issue 10 the Justice League just starts "looking for" the key to the Graveyard of the Gods? And then Mera retrieves the Tear from some bones in issue 12, even though Cheetah and Black Manta already used it. At no point is this addressed and in fact there are even scenes where they state there's only one version of these relics.
The issues following issue 10 are not completely awful and in fact there are some parts that try to turn this shipwreck around. But without a better foundation and explanation of the unlocked forces the finale becomes tedious and confusing.
August 5, 2019
Scott Snyder and company continue their upgrades to the Legion of Doom with the next chapter in the relaunched Justice League Series. After a conversation with the Batman Who Laughs, Lex Luthor enacts the next phase of his Legion of Doom takeover. He sets Cheetah and Black Manta after Poseidon, killing the elder god and unleashing three violent oceanic beings upon the planet. These ancient deities - Drogue, Gall, and Tyyde - bring with them a titanic flood that transforms anyone in contact with the waters into aquatic monstrosities. As Aquaman and Wonder Woman bring the fight to the triad, Superman, Flash, and Mera seek help from the realm of the dead. The final fight leaves an amnesic Aquaman washed up on the other side of the world, but his sacrifice restores the world to its natural state. Snyder's most interesting characters are the newly-powerful Legion of Doom, and sadly they are barely represented in this washed up tale. Once again a story is used to match a comic character to their popular movie counterpart; this volume serves as little more than an opportunity for DC to remake Aquaman in Jason Momoa's image. The rotating slew of artists are up to the task of depicting the various scenes, but their differing styles are easily noticeable among the choppy writing and plot. Justice League: Graveyard of Gods barely shambles ahead with its story, despite the epic setup from volume one.
December 13, 2022
Name: Justice League by Scott Snyder (2018-2021) issue 1-39
Writer: Scott Snyder
Scott Snyder is one of my favorite comic writers right now. So when I heard he was writing Justice League I had to read it. This run was after the events of DC METAL and No Justice, both written by Scott Snyder. This run serves as a prequel to DC Death Metal. This JL run has become one of my favorites. The artwork is fabulous. The story is well written, it's SCOTT BLOODY SNYDER what else do you expect? Though it heavily leaned towards Death Metal, the read was balanced.
There are 5 vol, 40 issues. You have to read Metal and No Justice for this, those are worth the read. The scenes with jarro are peak comedy. Has to be one of my favorite characters. Jarro is the greatest robin ever. The storylines were super interesting to read. The suspense was damn real. I have read this series twice and both times I was amazed. I will highly recommend reading DC metal and No Justice before this and finishing this run with Year of the villain and Death Metal. The doom event war
Storytelling: 9/10
Artwork: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
Highly recommended to anyone who's into the fun stuff.
Writer: Scott Snyder
Scott Snyder is one of my favorite comic writers right now. So when I heard he was writing Justice League I had to read it. This run was after the events of DC METAL and No Justice, both written by Scott Snyder. This run serves as a prequel to DC Death Metal. This JL run has become one of my favorites. The artwork is fabulous. The story is well written, it's SCOTT BLOODY SNYDER what else do you expect? Though it heavily leaned towards Death Metal, the read was balanced.
There are 5 vol, 40 issues. You have to read Metal and No Justice for this, those are worth the read. The scenes with jarro are peak comedy. Has to be one of my favorite characters. Jarro is the greatest robin ever. The storylines were super interesting to read. The suspense was damn real. I have read this series twice and both times I was amazed. I will highly recommend reading DC metal and No Justice before this and finishing this run with Year of the villain and Death Metal. The doom event war
Storytelling: 9/10
Artwork: 9/10
Overall: 9/10
Highly recommended to anyone who's into the fun stuff.
April 24, 2020
The book tries to build on the previous volume, but gets hijacked by the "Drowned Earth" story, which has always been the bane of DC Comics. They used to coordinate their events, and now it's more of a "we interrupt this broadcast for an event that means nothing and you care nothing about."
June 12, 2022
This whole ..flooding waters turning everyone into sea creatures was just silly, it wasn’t until JL #12 where Frazer Irving did half the art and these creatures really started to look creepy. That issue also has the Legion of Doom more involved and moved the current JL storyline forward, with that the conclusion issue with the final battle with the sea gods was a little more entertaining.
But overall the beginning chapters (with the Drogue? ..sea gods) were too bland and silly to recommend.
Note: JL #8 is a Tynion IV Legion of Doom focused issue.
The Drowned Earth TPB includes the Aquaman and Titans tie-ins which were decent, and are not included in this.
But overall the beginning chapters (with the Drogue? ..sea gods) were too bland and silly to recommend.
Note: JL #8 is a Tynion IV Legion of Doom focused issue.
The Drowned Earth TPB includes the Aquaman and Titans tie-ins which were decent, and are not included in this.
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