Previously on Justice League Infinity: in his search for meaning at the edge of the universe, Amazo broke something fundamental, causing the Superman of Earth-12 to be replaced by Overman (a.k.a. Nazi Supes). Will issue #2 keep up the goodwill established by the first? Keep reading to find out.
ART
While maybe not as out and out flashy, grand, or pretty as the stuff in JLI #1, Ethen Beavers art is still very solid, retaining the spirit of the cartoon. In a lot of ways the DCAU hasn’t looked this good since Batman: The Animated Series.
A lot of the backgrounds in Justice League and Unlimited could be pretty ho-hum, but the backgrounds here — while not breathtaking or anything — are really solid. Sure, it’s still a bunch of rhombuses, but it’s a much more visually interesting bunch of rhombuses.
Colorist Nick Filardi’s poppy colors and use of shadows are definitely another area where these Tim-styled characters have arguably never looked better.
STORY
Superman’s got a bone to pick with the Nazis of a parallel Earth. Meanwhile, Lois and the League have to contend with Overman, his hateful rhetoric, and his even more hateful punches. Can punches be hateful? Are all punches hateful? I mean, how often is a punch thrown out of love? Maybe that’s too reductive a view on love and hate — “The opposite of love isn’t hate but indifference” and all that. Anyway, Overman is a mean dude and probably needs to get punched.
Even though his general look is similar, this Overman is a bit different from the one in Morrison’s various multiversal shenanigans. Turns out, JLI #2 is a bit of a sequel to the “The Savage Time” three-parter in Justice League and this iteration of Overman is the Superman in a world where Vandal Savage/the Nazis presumably won World War II. I promise this makes more sense in the comic.
Speaking of Natzis.
This comic doesn’t shy away from showing them as actual Nazis, with swastikas and SS symbols and everything. Considering how it seems like more and more folks fall prey to Nazi ideology every day in the real world, it’s heartening to see superhero media putting them front and center as the baddies.
All that said, the strong characterization/emotional core of JLI #1 that hooked me felt a bit weaker here. Which makes sense, issue #2 is less about the Justice League and more about Superman/Overman multiversally Freaky Fridaying. And Superman does get to do a bit of Supermaning at least. He shows compassion to a hateful mob, gives a little inspirational speech, and absolutely gob-stomps a brainiac-bot mid propagandistic monologue — but most of his thought boxes are devoted to exposition and narration. Overman gets plenty of chances to be a POS and a couple pages of back story, which makes him, ever so slightly, more of a sympathetic antagonist.
Recommended if…
- You like superheroes
- You don’t like Nazis
- You’re excited to keep reading the adventures of the DCAU Justice League
OVERALL
All in all, Justice League Infinity #2 manages to keep up the momentum from issue #1. It breezily lays out everything that’s going on, gives us Overman’s backstory, has a bit of action, sets up some pretty big stakes for the issues to come, and even sneaks in a tid-bit of social commentary. Just don’t come into it expecting to spend much time with your favorite leaguers and it should be a fun time.
Score: 8/10
Disclaimer: DC Comics provided Batman News with an advance copy of this comic for the purpose of this review.
