Comics Bulletin logo
Search
  • Columns
    Random
    • 5.0

      What We Said Then: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 1.01 “Pilot” Review

      Andrew Steinbeiser
      January 4, 2015
      Columns, What We Said Then
    Recent
    • Revisiting the Witchblade/Fathom/Tomb Raider Crossover

      Daniel Gehen
      February 8, 2021
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 2

      Daniel Gehen
      December 4, 2020
    • The Full Run: Usagi Yojimbo – The Wanderer’s Road Part 1

      Daniel Gehen
      October 30, 2020
    • What Looks Good
    • Comics Bulletin Soapbox
    • The Full Run
    • Leading Question
    • Top 10
    • The Long-Form
    • Jumping On
    • Comics in Color
    • Slouches Towards Comics
  • Big Two
    Random
    • Exclusive Marvel Preview: "Kanan" #9

      Andrew Steinbeiser
      December 10, 2015
      Marvel Comics, Previews
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      DCeased: Dead Planet #7 Presents a Hopeful Future (Review)

      Daniel Gehen
      January 22, 2021
    • Retro Review: Detective Comics #826 Remains a Holiday Classic

      Daniel Gehen
      December 3, 2020
    • DC Comics
    • Big Two Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
  • Indie
    Random
    • 5.0

      REVIEW: Alters #3

      Andrew Steinbeiser
      December 26, 2016
      AfterShock Comics, Indie, Reviews
    Recent
    • 4.0

      Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past

      Stephen Cook
      March 3, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Reviews
    • Archie Comics
    • Boom! Studios
    • Dark Horse
    • IDW
    • Image
    • Oni Press
    • Valiant
  • Reviews
    Random
    • 3.5

      Sunday Slugfest - Rock N Roll

      Andrew Steinbeiser
      November 27, 2005
      Reviews, Slugfest
    Recent
    • 3.0

      Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia

      Daniel Gehen
      February 22, 2021
    • 4.5

      Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • 2.3

      Review: SAVAGE #1 Needs Taming

      Daniel Gehen
      February 16, 2021
    • Singles Going Steady
    • Slugfest
    • Manga
      • Reviews
    • Small Press
      • Reviews
      • ICYMI
      • Tiny Pages Made of Ashes
  • Interviews
    Random
    • Dan Mora of 'Klaus' on Bringing an Icon to Life, Bringing Comics to His Home Country

      Andrew Steinbeiser
      September 5, 2016
      Boom! Studios, Indie, Interviews
    Recent
    • Interview: Jon Davis-Hunt Talks SHADOWMAN

      Daniel Gehen
      June 8, 2020
    • Interview: Becky Cloonan talks DARK AGNES and Her Personal Influences

      Mike Nickells
      March 4, 2020
    • Simon Roy

      Interview: Simon Roy on His Inspirations and Collaborations on PROTECTOR

      Mike Nickells
      January 29, 2020
    • Audio Interview
    • Video Interview
  • Classic Comics
    Random
    • Larceny in Small Parts: Will Eisner's PS

      Andrew Steinbeiser
      September 16, 2011
      Classic Comics Cavalcade, Columns
    Recent
    • Countdown to the King: Marvel’s Godzilla

      Daniel Gehen
      May 29, 2019
    • Honoring A Legend: Fantagraphics To Resurrect Tomi Ungerer Classics

      Daniel Gehen
      February 15, 2019
    • Reliving the Craziest Decade in Comics History: An interview with Jason Sacks

      Mark Stack
      January 2, 2019
    • Classic Comics Cavalcade
    • Classic Interviews
  • News
    Random
    • X-Men: 50 Years of Mutants Past [infographic]

      Andrew Steinbeiser
      May 21, 2014
      Infographiic, News
    Recent
    • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 19, 2021
    • Image Comics and TMP Announces SPAWN’S UNIVERSE

      Daniel Gehen
      February 18, 2021
    • SAVAGE DRAGON IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH THIS MAY

      Daniel Gehen
      February 17, 2021
    • Press Release
    • Kickstarter Spotlight
  • Books
    Random
    • You Gotta Read This: 'Her Eternal Moonlight Sailor Moon's Female Fans In North America'

      Andrew Steinbeiser
      October 5, 2016
      Books
    Recent
    • Collecting Profile: Disney Frozen

      CB Staff
      November 22, 2019
    • Collecting Profile: NFL Superpro

      CB Staff
      August 31, 2019
    • “THE BEST OF WITZEND” is a Wonderful Celebration of Artistic Freedom

      Daniel Gehen
      September 15, 2018
    • Review: ‘Machete Squad’ is a Disappointing Afghan Memoir

      Jason Sacks
      July 31, 2018
    • Review: ‘Out of Nothing’ is the Antidote to Our Sick Times

      Jason Sacks
      July 23, 2018
    • Review: ‘Bizarre Romance’ Shows Rough Edges in the Early Days of a New Marriage

      Jason Sacks
      July 10, 2018
What's New
  • Review: Beast Wars #2 another chance to change the past
  • Collecting Profile: Blue Beetle
  • Review: X-MEN LEGENDS #1 Delivers A Dose of Nostalgia
  • Collecting Profile: Kraven the Hunter
  • Review: THE LAST RONIN #2 Hurts So Good
  • TIME BEFORE TIME—A HIGH STAKES TIME TRAVEL SCIENCE FICTION SERIES SET TO LAUNCH THIS MAY
  • RSS Feed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Contact Us
  • Write for us!
  • Visit Video Game Break!
Home
Big Two

Review: Justice League #34 Starts A Fantastic New Era

Andrew Steinbeiser
December 8, 2017
Big Two, Big Two Reviews, DC Comics, Reviews

Justice League #34

Written by Christopher Priest

Art and Colors by Pete Woods

Letters by Willie Schu

Published by DC Comics

For one of the most iconic titles in comics, Justice League has endured a creative slump for quite some time. But a glimmer of hope for the world’s greatest superheroes emerged earlier this fall when DC Comics announced that Eisner-Award nominated writer Christopher Priest and artist Pete Woods would take over as Justice League’s ongoing creative team, beginning with this week’s #34. Admittedly, expectations were high. Priest’s name connotes a higher caliber of storytelling, while Wood’s suggests a clean artistic break from the photo-realistic house style that DC has subjugated on the Justice League since the New 52 initiative began in 2011. Thankfully, the team delivers on jus that. Justice League #34 presents a fresh and dynamic new direction for DC’s A-listers, all while laying the foundations of a fascinating new story.

Priest is generally known as a writer capable of bringing humanity to his subjects. He executes that skill perfectly in Justice League#34, bringing some of the most god-like heroes in comics back down to Earth, then supplanting them with feet of clay. Priest eschews the wide-screen action spectacles in favor of startlingly intimate glimpses into a few Leaguer’s personal lives. Take the issue’s opening scene for instance, where Green Lantern Simon Baaz, a practicing Muslim, performs his daily prayers on a distant alien planet. This scene is immediately followed by a visit to Wayne Manor, where Batman is found asleep on the master staircase, too fatigued to find his bed. These small moments paint each character as human and relatable, despite being some of the most powerful men in the galaxy. They also help  the reader understand each character on a more personal level, so that when the action finally does hit, we actually understand the hero charging into battle. These moments may not seem like much at face value, but compared the stale and derivative sci-fi action spectacles that drove every page of Justice League for over the past five years, it’s welcomed change of pace.

This grounded positioning of the Justice League is taken a step further when Priest dives into his main plot. As he make it painfully clear, coordinating the Justice League is a logistical nightmare rife with opportunities to fail. Attempting to solve all of the world’s ailments—both local and extraterrestrial—is a tall order for only eight people, even if they have superpowers. By picking at the minutiae of the League’s stratagems and team dynamics, they no longer seem like god-like beings, but an imperfect group of women and men trying to keep pace with the world’s troubles. Of course, this all-too-human team that Priest establishes is bound to make errors at some point. And when the mistakes hit the League, we see them in a position that we rarely ever do—that of defeat. This scenario opens the door to some very revealing looks inside each League members head, as we see how each one deals with loss. One scene in particular perfectly exemplifies this, as Superman and Batman informally re-cap the issue’s events. While Superman stacks the League’s wins against their losses and walks away satisfied–ever the optimist–Batman can’t help but obsess over the one failure he committed, underscoring his obsessive and driven nature.

Quiet moments like these say so much about the characters in a subtle and efficient manner, which is an extremely important feat to accomplish when juggling a cast this extensive. But these moments only speak to Priest’s ability as a character-driven writer who can mine wonderfully personal moments out of the most epic backdrops. It’s disappointing that not every League member received the same introspection–the Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman stand out as side-lined characters–but it’s safe to assume that Priest will tackle them in future issues.

This approach to the Justice League wouldn’t be quite as effective, however, without the work of Pete Woods. Woods, who pencils and colors the entire issue, is the perfect choice for Priest’s humble vantage point. His figures are certainly heroic, but nearly a statuesque and god-like as we’ve seen before. Woods’ talent for facial acting is another massive boon to the story, as his animated figures bring every emotion in Priest’s script to life in the most believable way possible. But Woods packs more than just facial expressions into these pages. His entire art style is crisp and spritely, making each page pop with an old-school superhero energy—thanks in large part to his pastel color palette—that the Justice League has not seem in some time.

While Justice League #34 is only the first chapter in a much larger narrative, Priest and Woods have already made ample progress in getting the series back on track. Priest has proven that he can dive deep into the League’s head while spinning a thought-provoking storyline that also entertains. The real beauty however, comes when the team dynamics and plot threads begin to intersect at the issue’s end, promising afar more interesting story for those who come back. Add in the vibrant artwork of Pete Woods, who truly brings Priest’s script to life, and you have the makings of one of the best Justice League stories of the decade.

Review: Justice League #34 Starts A Fantastic New Era
5.0Overall Score
Reader Rating: (0 Votes)

Christopher PriestJustice LeaguePete Woods

Share On:
Tweet
Review: WITCHBLADE #1 Reignites the Top Cow Universe
‘Klaus and the Crisis in Xmasville #1’ is a Psychedelic Holiday Romp

About The Author

Andrew Steinbeiser

Related Posts

  • What Looks Good For the Week of 7/10/2019

    Daniel Gehen
    July 8, 2019
  • 5.0

    Advance Review: ‘Black Hammer/Justice League: Hammer Of Justice! #1’ Hammers Its Way Into My Heart

    Jason Jeffords Jr.
    June 12, 2019

Support Us!

Buy Me a Coffee at ko-fi.com

Friends of the Site

  • SOLRAD
  • Your Chicken Enemy
  • Psycho Drive-In
  • Women Write About Comics
  • The Beat
  • Loser City
RSSTwitterFacebookgoogleplusinstagramtumblr

Comics Bulletin is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for website owners to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, audible.com, and any other website that may be affiliated with Amazon Service LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate, Comics Bulletin earns from qualifying purchases.

All content on this site (c) 2018 The Respective Copyright Holders