Convergence: Justice League International #2 Review

Justice League International has protected their city for a year without powers or their biggest names.  Now, they have to face the heroes of an alternate future reality where heroes have grown dark and disillusioned.  Can the Bwah Ha Ha take the day?  Your Major Spoilers review of Convergence: Justice League International #2 awaits!

CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #2
Writer: Ron Marz
Penciler: Mike Manley
Inker: Joe Rubinstein/Mike Manley/Bret Blevins
Colorist: Sotocolor
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Editor: Marie Javins
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99

Previously in Convergence: Justice League International: When the Justice League Of America disbanded in the wake of Professor Ivo’s systematic murder of a large chunk of their membership, the world was left without a League until Maxwell Lord (under the control of the villainous Construct) manipulated a team into existence.  Featuring heroes such as Booster Gold, Blue Beetle, The Martian Manhunter, Captain Atom, as well as Global Guardians Fire and Ice, the heroes fought a two-pronged battle against villainy and seriousness, even getting Batman to lighten up a little bit before falling to pieces in yet another murder-fest.  Yoinked out of the timestream before their tragic end, the JLI now faces an incursion by a makeshift Justice League from the future documented in the ‘Kingdom Come’ limited series.  It’s “Bwah Ha Ha” versus “Dark And Gritty”, with two cities in the balance…

A CONFRONTATION FOR THE AGES

The beginning of this issue is a very strong moment, as Wonder Woman and Blue Beetle confer with their teams, then meet face-to-face to discuss whether or not they’re going to fight it out for survival.  Wonder Woman is stern and humorless (which makes me wonder when in her timeline she has been taken from, since she’s alongside Captain Marvel, implying post-giant battle, but later events make it seem like she’s been taken from earlier in the series), while Blue Beetle tries to reason with her in his charming way.  The whole issue ends up being a showpiece for Ted Kord (which is a bit strange, given that there’s also a ‘Convergence: Blue Beetle’ book), as he leads his team into battle, then discovers that his elder counterpart is likewise against the idea of battling it out.  They’re separated from their teams, and have to bail one another out of trouble, only to return to the battle and find his JLI team summarily beaten down by the heroes from their future.

“YOU KNOW WHAT DAY IT IS?”

The art throughout the issue is really inconsistent, owing probably to the multiple inkers, and several of the costumes (future Blue Beetle and Red Tornado especially) look really weird throughout the story, and the ending falls completely flat for me due to being both telegraphed and overly schmaltzy (and I’m a fan of the JLI and the relationship being referenced by the climactic scene.)  The best issues of Convergence crossovers provide something special or nostalgic for readers, but this one doesn’t really do service to the characters of Kingdom Come or the JLI, and as much as it’s nice to see Ted Kord in the spotlight, there’s practically zero chance that he’ll make any sort of comeback in the New 52 post-Convergence.  Add to that the wooden dialogue and utterly predictable story, and there’s not a lot of draw here to make me happy to have spent four dollars on the comic.

THE BOTTOM LINE: NOT MY FAVORITE

With so many Convergence titles in play, there’s naturally going to be some variations in quality, but this book is particularly disappointing.  It’s not really a JLI story, as the non-Blue Beetle members get short shrift throughout (and Red Tornado was never a member of the JLI during the time period referenced), the Kingdom Come characters don’t quite look or sound right (especially The Creeper), and even the spotlight on Blue Beetle is undermined by inconsistencies of art and story.  Convergence: Justice League International #2 seems to want to celebrate a lost hero and remind us why he was admirable, but doesn’t ever quite get off the ground artistically or storywise, earning a disappointing 2 out of 5 stars overall.