Justice League #16 Review

JUSTICE LEAGUE #16

by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis, and Gary Frank

So who did the big "Bigger superhero team" better? Avengers or Justice League?

When I read Justice League #16, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a Polish salute, or Freddie Mercury victory stance. Geoff John's story here is a double edged sword. Justice League feels like  an epic Michael Bay summer blockbuster, but on the other hand, it's all action and action. It seems like Johns just wants action and is willing to give up compelling characters and a smart story. Last month's Justice League was great, but what happened? I mean, it seems like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are being douchebags to Aquaman. So I wouldn't blame him for trying to choke them. I found the entire thing to jarring and incredibly out of character. However, when Cyborg revealed the Grid, I thought DC did the "Opening the ranks of your big superhero squad" event better than Marvel. 

Ivan Reis' art however, looks as great as ever. He really captures the epic feel of the series, especially in one splash in particular. Mostly, I really like his depiction of Batman. Sadly, many of his aged characters look similar. VERY similar.

The SHAZAM! backup is starting to heat up. A little bit. It's moving way too slowly. I mean, not much happens. Black Adam makes Billy wet his pants, and makes him de-Shazam himself and run away. Yeah. Thankfully, Gary Franks' art looks better than usual, and carries the entire feature. 

Justice League #16 is a half-and-half book. Many people will love and hate it at the same time. Me? I'm still not sure.  So...

STORY: 2/5

+Great job with the Grid reveal

+Epic overload

-Flat characters

-The Trinity are uncharacteristic douches

ART: 4/5

+Explosive art

-Old  people look alike

BACKUP: 3/5

+Starting to  get interesting

+Art keeps readers engaged

-Not much actually happens

VERDICT: 3/5