- Written by Bryan Hitch
- Pencils by Jesus Merino
- Inks by Andy Owens
- Colored by Adriano Lucas
- Cover by Tony Salvador Daniel, Sandu Florea & Tomeu Morey
“STATE OF FEAR” part two! In the conclusion to this story, a new threat that manipulates the fears of its victims has turned the Justice League against each other, and only heroes trained to overcome fear-Green Lanterns Simon Baz and Jessica Cruz-can save Earth’s greatest heroes from themselves!
Pickup your copy of ‘Justice League’ #7 at Comixology now!
Colour me confused ‘Justice League’. After the last issue it felt like this was going to be the beginning of a new storyline which would become a character portrait for each of the League’s members. Actually ‘State of Fear’ is just a short interlude until a much bigger story begins in the next issue.
This issue breaks the storyline up in to small chunks to allow it time to focus on its characters in different settings. The main focus, if the cover is to be believed, is Batman and Superman. Cyborg and Green Lantern Simon Baz are also paired up whilst Aquaman and Wonder Woman are also paired up.
Each of the pairing become fairly obvious and generic. I actually liked the Barry-Jessica pairing as it became an interesting look at each characters emotional state and how they try to deal with their unrequited feelings for each other. Each of the other pairings are made for obvious reasons:
- Batman/Superman – both lost their parents… and its Batman v Superman!
- Wonder Woman/Aquaman – gods from other lands, both not quite able to fit in with humanity.
- Cyborg/Simon Baz – younger characters, outcasts who struggle to fit in with their peers.
Each sub-pairing works but none break the mould of standard storytelling. I have already forgotten most of the interaction between Batman and Superman. We’ve seen them have conversations about losing their respective parents before. It’s nothing news.
Simon and Cyborg on the football field are a fraction more interesting. Seeing Simon separate himself from the crowd and disappear in to his own isolation gave a good insight as to what is going on in his head. I haven’t read any of the new ‘Green Lanterns’ series but certainly where ‘Justice League’ is concerned he is far outshone by Jessica. Cyborg is Cyborg, I felt almost like I was seeing some of his personality from the ‘Teen Titans’ cartoon series in reading this.
Most interesting is Aquaman and Wonder Woman. I can’t think of a time I’ve seen these two interact quite this much. Having the two discuss what it’s like coming from their respective backgrounds just shows how similar these two really are.
This issue continues a run of unremarkable issues for ‘Justice League’. I keep saying it doesn’t look bad, it just doesn’t look great either. It’s standard comic fare and lets the story do all of the talking.
Verdict
‘Justice League’ #7 is a little disappointing. Overall ‘State of Fear’ has been an interesting story but’s over before it really had chance to begin.