Fear. Yes I realize that’s not a complete sentence but let’s go with it shall we? Fear is the one factor that we all share despite our many differences, being afraid is one of our common bonds. When it comes to the world of superheroes, exposing a heroes fear is nothing new and it’s a trope that has been done in comics. Which leads me to ask the question. What exactly does Hitch have in store for this newly formed Justice League? Given that I wasn’t satisfied with how the previous arc ended, my expectations aren’t to high now. Spoilers are to follow, you have been warned.
I have to give credit where credit is due, the opening page of Batman looking horrified along with the Justice League running away with faces of disbelief/fear is an excellent way to hook the reader to finding out what exactly happens. While Hitch doesn’t go into the nature of the threat (similar to the previous arc) it gives the spotlight to both Jessica and Simon that fits both their personalities along with their powers. I did enjoy that Hitch dropped readers into a scene already in progress, similar to classic Justice League comics, and since this arc seems to be centered around fear I’m sure that Hitch will expound on what exactly they were facing in some form.
Given that the arc before was a world ending issue, Hitch has decided to give the leaguers some downtime with this issue focused mainly on Superman, The Flash and Lantern Cruz. There might be some fans out there who will argue that the Justice League title should be all big action and their individual books should have these character moments. Personally some of my favorite Justice League issues are of them spending time with each other outside of costume.
With that being said, seeing Jessica ask the Flash out on a date and the scenes that follow echo that feeling of going on a date with someone new. Jessica’s inner monologue read as if it was ripped from her main series which I see as a good thing. It gives Justice League readers a small peak into the mind of Jessica Cruz, and Green Lantern fans can rest easy knowing that their character is not being written differently.
If Hitch’s goal was to make the reader extremely uncomfortable then mission accomplished. It’s to see that whatever the Justice League fought has left some lingering effects, it’s interesting to see that out of the three members shown only Jessica is showing her fear enhanced. Whereas Barry and Clark aren’t so obvious, and that only gives me another reason as to why I should pick up the next issue. Ending the issue with Superman proclaiming he will kill Batman is pretty chilling way to end your comic.
If you were paying attention, then you might have noticed that two different artist worked on this issue and both Matthew Clark and Tom Derenick did an excellent job of complementing each other that I honestly didn’t notice when I first read this. Something that jumped out of me immediately though were the expressive facial expressions. Whether it’s the Justice League running in terror or Jessica looking completely shocked at her state of mind. It did strike me as odd that for one panel after Barry said yes to Jessica’s request of a date her face is in shadow giving a sense of foreboding instead of a comical dread or perhaps giddiness. Storytelling from Clark and Derenick was rock solid, with no real complaints from me when it comes to their art.
Justice League #6 earns a 4/5