Comic Review: Justice League #17

Scott Snyder has teased a relationship between Martian Manhunter and Lex Luthor all the way back in No Justice. The way these two played off of each other in Snyder’s Justice League has been a ton of fun. The two are enemies, but they clearly have a respect for one another. And last issue, we got a reveal that Jo’nn and Lex are literally closer together. You see, both Humans and Martians descended from the same race, each exhibiting different strengths from the race.

But Justice League #17 takes their relationship even further, revealing new information about each of their pasts. The issue starts by Martian Manhunter requesting Lex Luthor’s help on Mars. After Manhunter’s experience on Thanagaar Prime, he is learning new things about his past. And he’s hoping that Lex can help him out.

You see, a group of humans abducted Jo’nn when he was a kid, trying to use his DNA to replicate the race that existed before man and martian. But one of the scientist’s kids developed a relationship with Jo’nn, so they would sneak out and be heroes when his father wasn’t looking. And it turns out that boy was Lex Luthor. The government later erased Lex’s memory so no one would know about Mars.

This is a really interesting development for both characters. Lex used to look down on his father for being an abusive drunk, but now he understands that his father used to be a part of something greater. Lex will probably see his father in a different light after this. And Jo’nn might have a much harder time going against Lex and the Legion knowing that they used to be friends.

While I did like this issue, I had a few complaints. First off, Snyder’s Luthor is so dry. He doesn’t write a bad Luthor, but he doesn’t impress me either. Geoff John’s Luthor from Justice League always felt like he was in control. He had a quick wit and I loved reading his dialogue. Snyder’s Luthor feels a little one note.

I’ll also continue to criticize this book for being too wordy. Both Snyder and Tynion just put so many words on each page, barely giving the panels any room to breathe. I think this issue was a step in the right direction, but it still had a lot of dialogue.

I’m glad to see Jim Cheung is back for a full issue. Cheung’s art is as good as always here. I feel like Cheung’s art is a cleaner version of John Romita Jr.’s. His Martian dragon designs were excellent.

Overall, this issue was a nice one-shot before the next big arc. This really upped the tension between Lex Luthor and Martian Manhunter, which will hopefully pay off big in the future. I’m looking forward to what Snyder has in store for these characters.