JLA #2

By Brian Hitch and Alex Sinclair

One of the main problems I’ve had with the Justice League books is that at the end of the day, nothing important was ever going to happen in them. All of these characters have their own books and if they were going to get killed off, it would likely be there or in a big event crossover. With the launch of the New 52, DC has got some top-notch creators on their Justice League books and important things have happened. We now have Brian Hitch on JLA, which had a good first issue, but everybody knows the second issue is where you really hook your readers.

There are a few things that come to mind when you hear that Brian Hitch is doing a book. Great art and timely delays. We already have our second issue of JLA from Hitch, so hopefully we can assume the delays won’t be a problem. Hitch continues where we left off last issue as Superman meets a mysterious stranger by the name of Rao. Hitch does a great job of making Rao seem too good to be true. As an audience we want to believe that he is really this good of a God. With that said, of course Hitch would never allow Batman to accept something like this. His portrayal in this issue is very good and he utters a sentence that makes him seem like the vigilante he should be. Brian doesn’t just make Clark an instant believer either. He’s a journalist too, and Hitch has him ask questions to help cement where he stands. If there was one flaw in the writing, it’s that sometimes it can be a bit wordy, but that’s just a nitpick.

Also on the pencils this issue is Brian Hitch along with colorist Alex Sinclair. There really aren’t many complaints when Hitch is on art, and that trend continues. He brings a cinematic view to a comic book that is almost unparalleled. We get our share of gorgeous full-page art, as we finally get to see Rao for the first time or a page of Rao’s ship with the sun shining on it. This is where Hitch excels, these giant pages where the reader is mesmerized by the pictures on the page. There are a couple of panels where faces seem less detailed, but not many issues are perfect. The colors by Alex Sinclair are a huge help with this issue as well. He really fits the style of art that Hitch puts out and brings the reader into the story with his excellent colors. Hitch and Sinclair are a great team on this book.

For a comic like JLA, having a good first arc is a huge deal because it could easily be a book readers will drop. Brian Hitch is doing his best to make sure that doesn’t happen. He’s doing double duty and doing them both well. The story or the art hasn’t suffered so far and it’s been a very engaging read. As long as this book can come out on time, this will be a good series for a long while.