You'll be surprised at how the pieces come together, pulling empathy out of unusual places by issue's end. Cheung's artwork only bolsters the book's effect, resulting in one of the most pleasantly surprising issues of Justice League yet. Read Full Review

Justice League is hitting on all cylinders right now and continues to be the book where DC can't miss. Read Full Review

Scott Snyder's run on Justice League so far has best been described as "big", with every issue featuring a wide group of characters engaged in a host of chaotic plotlines. But when he goes small, the story hits its stride, because Justice League #17 is an intimate and tense issue between two characters " Lex Luthor and J'onn J'onnz " and it's the best issue of the entire run. Read Full Review

Jim Cheung's art is splendid. There are so many beautifully detailed panels in this issue and the action looks amazing. Read Full Review

Surprisingly to me, Lex Luthor is the character I most care about in this book. He is the person that determines the fate of the universe. Seeing him get the spotlight here, along with another character that has great importance in this series was really cool to see. The way they were tied together was wonderfully done. This is my favorite issue in the series so far. Read Full Review

A must read for anyone keeping up with Justice League or anyone that is into Martian Manhunter as a character. Scott Snyder is no longer wasting time with this comic as he was doing before and during Drowned Earth. The payoffs and answers to mysteries found in this book are griping. However, I would like them to find a singular artistic team for at least one issue. Read Full Review

Are we witnessing a golden age for 'Justice League'? In 10 years we'll probably all agree we most definitely are. Read Full Review

After a brief moment with Justice and Doom on equalfooting, the fate of the universe is still in question. Justice League #17 gave us a heartwarming and heartbreaking flashback with J'onn and Luthor that could end up being the key that opens the door to them working together in order to help save the universe from Perpetua. Read Full Review

Justice League #17 honestly impressed me. It was hard not feeling worry that this would have felt like a filler issue in contrast to the other issues that were self-contained. Once again I was reminded that this is a creative team to have faith in for their ability to emphasize the importance of a story with depth. Characters matter, and that is the best takeaway from a team book as ambitious as this one. Read Full Review

Still, the issue is definitely worth reading, if only so that you can get your own take on this conundrum. Read Full Review

Snyder returns to solo writing duties, and gives us an interlude. The idea of J'onn revisiting his past is great, but trying to redeem Lex Luthor right after he blows out the Source Wall and puts the Multiverse on the brink of war is dubious and poorly-timed. This arc should happen much later. If Lex turns soon, it'll feel rushed and disingenuous, especially since he was a hero before Snyder's series. Read Full Review

Not many books leave me with my jaw on the floor like this one did. Snyder gives us a break from the constant universe-ending action to give us a new take on one of the heroes hes taken a liking to. Together with Jim Cheungs amazing art, this interlude between acts is one book nobody should be passing up on! Read Full Review

What is amazing however is Jim Cheung's pencils. This issue is a testament to Chueng's storytelling. You can feel the intensity come off page as Luthor and J'onn stare each other down, dialog can only convey so much, you need the art to solidify those emotions and Cheung does that to perfection. The only detractor to this issue was the amount of inkers (three to be exact) and the overall quality of the line work does suffer a tad, but thankfully the storytelling remains solid. I wish Cheung was able to do more than a single issue, but I'll gladly take what I can get. Read Full Review

It isn't Snyder and Cheung's best outing, but Justice League #17 is nevertheless an excellent one. An elaboration on the strange relationship between J'onn J'onzz and Lex Luthor, it features the sort of verbal and visual artistry that this book once had, and has desperately needed to recapture. Here's hoping there's lots more like this in the future. Read Full Review

After the major cosmic events of the past several issues, a character-driven interlude is a welcome breather before diving back into the thick of the high-stakes epic that Snyder and Tynion have been delivering. It also adds an intriguing and unexpected dimension to the character of Lex Luthor. This storyline is shaking the DCU to its core, and promises to take things even further. Read Full Review

An emotionally charged backstory set against a gripping fight for survival, this is Zack Snyder at his best! Read Full Review

Justice League #17 was a huge issue. Snyder continues to amaze me with his work on this title. At this point, Snyder is putting on a clinic and demonstrating why he is the best comic book writer at the present. I would definitely recommend hoping aboard Justice League if you still have not started reading this title. Justice League continues to set the standard for mainstream super hero titles. Read Full Review

After last issue's craziness, this cool down issue felt needed.  We still learned some big things here and it was the character moments between Lex and J'onn that won me over.  I hope we get more of those two together in the future, but for now, it looks like they have very different paths to take. Read Full Review

Justice League #17 reveals new secrets about Martian Manhunter and Lex Luthor's pasts. Read Full Review

I was let down by this. The art was amazing and Cheung needs to do as much work on this book as possible, but the story felt like it was stalling, and since we're getting another Legion of Doom issue this month, I don't think it'll be going anywhere until the next couple of months. Read Full Review

Previously in Justice League...

Back in the 90's there was a running subplot in X-Men: The Animated Series in which Magneto and Professor X were depowered and stranded in the Savage Land. They were forced to work out their differences and survive in a hostile environment. It was one of my favorite arcs of the series and was totally detached from the main plot during the season it aired. 

In Justice League #17 we are presented a similar situation with the unlikely pairing of Lex Luthor and Martian Manhunter. Without hyperbole, we may be looking at a strong early contender for the best single issue of the year.


I know the spoilers for the issue are everywhere but out of respect for the creators and the major twists found within I will avoid a bulk of them here. These are two characters I most certainly would have never paired together. It was hard to imagine at the outset of the issue that it would come together so well. Even the scheme of the cover hints at a deeper connection with the greens and purples bleeding together into a beautiful tapestry.

There is a lot of character building, world building, menace and revelations throughout the issue. The comic is extremely well paced and even though there is a ton of info dumped throughout the book, it's never boring. I was initially concerned when Snyder switched from writing Batman to taking over DC's Flagship team book but the series has genuinely become one of the highlights of my weekly pull list. 

Justice League reviews and I mean it. The inks here also flesh out the atmospheric personality of the issue. I rarely call out the inkers but this exceptional issue. It's a very bright yet surprisingly dark comic and the inks punctuate every panel found within the book. All involved need to be mentioned. 

Tomeu is the best colorist working in comics today and he deserves special praise for his work elevating every series that he's attached to.

Rather than spoil the comic here I will post a video addendum next week and go in-depth into the issue. There are a lot of potential ramifications for both sides of this conflict. I'm still a relative noob to DC comics lore but this one caught me completely off guard. 

Kudos to all involved this was a great ride. more

A really great story with a predictable ending, but great character moments all the same.

THE GOOD:

-Great art. Love Jim Cheung. Nice to see him actually doing the art for once.

-The character work for Martian Manhunter was excellent. He was just a really compelling character this issue, not an exposition spouting robot.

-I really liked seeing J'onn "playing" with his family. It was emotional and it felt right.

-The interplay between Lex and J'onn was great, it left me wanting more.

-I think this is the best issue of the series so far. Definitely the most reread-able.

-Despite predictability, that Albie/J'onn storyline was really well-done.

-That end was just perfect.

THE BAD:

-I don't know. Nothing I can really name, I just didn't love this issue like a 10. I didn't even love it as much as this weeks Uncanny X-Men, which I gave a 9.5. more

+ Like • Comments (8)

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• myconius
• Darkseid24

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Darkseid24 - Feb 8, 2019

I didn’t read it fully just a few scans. Did J‘onn only deceive Lex with a false memory or was it real?

myconius - Feb 8, 2019

ohhaimark - you're making me want to check this out when it hits trade

Psycamorean - Feb 8, 2019

Darkseid 24 - it was real.

Darkseid24 - Feb 8, 2019

@YourGreenMuse Thank You. Wow to that then

ohhaimark - Feb 10, 2019

@myconius- This issue was pretty great. I liked the annual as well. Other than that, however, I wouldn't recommend too many other issues of this series. Maybe they'll keep up the good issues?

Psycamorean - Feb 10, 2019

Hard same for me.

myconius - Feb 10, 2019

hmmmm. i guess if i do decide to check this out when it comes to trade, i'll wait for when the digital version goes on sale.

Darkseid24 - Feb 12, 2019

I think the ones with Joker& the Legionnof Doom was good.

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I'll admit, this run has tested me. But with the payoffs from 16, the annual and now 17 this story has gotten that much better and boy has it been worth it! Trade waiters will definitely benefit the most. Take a bow Snyder, Cheung, and Morey!

Sadly the "Albie is Lex" revelation wasnt a surprise, a plot twist, but its fine.
Very solid issue. I like how Scott Snyder is building the relation between Lex and Martian Manhunter. Its nice, different. The art is pure gold. You cant go wrong with Jim Cheung on board.
I like where this is going.

Hey, I liked two issues in a row! Oh boy, can we go for three? This issue was probably my favorite issue of the series, thinking back. Gone are the massive expositing of grand multiversal concepts and event storyline. This issue is almost purely character driven and felt like a breath of fresh air. I want more of this and less cataclysmic event battles that decide the fate of everything. That's boring when it's just another Wednesday. Smaller stories seem like the way to go here.

"Sh'anne, Sh'anne"

It's the issues like this why I read Justice League.

First of all, I love how much spotlight Snyder (and Tynion) are giving to the good ol' Manhunter from Mars. There was just something amiss when he wasn't part of the main League.
Second, I really dig the connection and relationship between J'onn and Lex. They added a small thing into their histories, without overhauling the entirety of it, that brings them closer and makes them more similar to each other. Both of them were, sort of, robbed off of a piece of their past.

Third, the art is a treat to the eye. The pencils, inks, colors complement each other very well. Both J'onn and Lex look great (not to mention Lex's amazing looking armor) and the surface of Mars, though bleak and desolate, looks fantastic and, well, otherworldly.
Also, the second to last page neatly parallels both of their arrivals to their respective Halls.

Very good issue. more

Great issue and we learned about Lex and J'onn. The writing was good but the art was amazing! Issue really progresses the story and excited to where it takes us in the next issue. Best part is, Jarro is still alive!

This was just fine, I’m not really getting the point at this stage, but it’s not like it’s badly written or anything, there’s just too much plot.