Comic Review: Justice League #41

Justice League #41

DC Comics

Writer: Robert Venditti

Artist: Aaron Lopresti

Justice League #41 is the most “okay” issue of anything I’ve ever read.  Before you pick up this book, you’re going to have to ask yourself a couple of questions.  First off, do you like generic Justice League action?  And second, are you willing to spend $3.99 on generic Justice League action?  If you didn’t answer yes to both of these questions, you might be a little let down by the second issue in Robert Vendetti’s run.

This issue is another piece of evidence for the “Vendetti is just a placeholder writer” argument.  I know Vendetti is capable of bringing direction and originality to his work.  Both The Surrogates and X-O Manowar are phenomenal books headed by Vendetti.  And he’s also capable of putting out quality work from big publishers.  Vendetti accomplished the impossible task of making me interested in Hawkman.  So there’s no reason that Vendetti’s Justice League can’t be a great run.

But Justice League #41 is the most generic thing I’ve ever read.  I like everything that happens in this issue, but there’s nothing new or exciting; it’s safe.  I’d much rather have a Justice League book that some people love and some people hate than one that everyone kind of likes.  Because at least at that point, someone really loves the book.  But as of now, Vendetti is just following the formula instead of taking it in a new direction.

Every decision in this book actively prevents it from breeding an interesting story.  The Eradicator is only two steps away from Doomsday in terms of character.  He’s a monotonous robot whose only dialogue is to remind you that he’s evil.  We’ve seen a thousand stories about General Zod or Brainiac trying to create a new Krypton on Earth.  Hell, we’ve seen a thousand stories of The Eradicator trying to create a new Krypton on Earth.  So right out of the gate, Vendetti sets himself up for a story that’s been done time and time again.

Even the pencils in this issue are just serviceable enough to avoid criticism.  Lopresti’s character designs are satisfactory, but his background is often minimal.  In a book with as large of scope as Justice League, I expect the art to enhance the action and adventure.

If you hired an A.I. to read every Justice League book and write its own issue, you’d probably end up with Justice League #41.  There’s nothing offensive or laughable in this issue, but there’s no heart to it.  If Vendetti plans to stick around for the long-haul, I hope he makes Justice League feel like DC’s flagship title.