Review: Justice League Vol. 1- The Totality

Quick Summary

Pros: The main storyline is exciting and full of fun moments. The concept behind this book allows for some unique encounters. The focus on characters works out well. The artwork looks great and pairs well with the story being told.

Cons: Complex concepts are introduced rapidly, diluting their effect. Some concepts are also never fully explained, leading to a few confusing confrontations.

Overall: The beginning of a new Justice League era is a success from both a visual and storytelling front. It tells a story with tons of action, a thrilling plot, and plenty of great moments from characters. It also helps that these character moments range from fun and lighthearted to deep and serious, introducing some character development into the mix. There are some problems with the way but the story never falters too significantly. Those interested in a great place to start reading some exciting new Justice League adventures should start here.

Story

In the first volume of a new Justice League series, high-stakes action meets a charming focus on characters to produce a book well worth reading. In Justice League Vol. 1: The Totality, Scott Snyder puts a fresh Justice League against a team of villains whose plans may lead to the end of the world. The resulting confrontation is deep and exciting, with themes and concepts that make for a unique adventure. There are still some problems, most of which come from the rapid introduction of these high concepts, but this problem does not completely sour the work as a whole. Instead, this ends up being a worthwhile collection and an exciting start to a new series.

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The Totality starts right out by dealing with the cosmic repercussions that began when the Source Wall was punctured in Dark Nights: Metal (Review). This leads to the rise of a threat with the potential to destroy the universe as a whole. It is a high-stakes adventure that ensures the entire read will be tense, as the heroes are constantly in peril.

While high stakes battles and showdowns of cosmic importance are exciting, the rapid pace in which they are introduced takes away from their impact. Within the first few chapters, readers are inundated with facts about an entirely new Lantern Corps, a counterpart to the Speed Force, and the unknown powers of a piece of the Source Wall. These concepts are introduced too quickly to be seen as intimidating as they could be and are not as fully fleshed out as one would hope. Instead, they remain vague for most of the read, leaving the threat they pose up in the air and introducing some confusion into a number of the confrontations.

Luckily, things get better as the read progresses. Though these concepts are never fully explained, they receive enough information to get by and allow the story to make sense. Plus, they are used in a way that allows for some unique encounters, like Flash’s dip into the Still Force or Martian Manhunter’s mental communion with the entirety of Earth’s population. It makes the story exciting and makes it seem better put together than before.

The rest of the read also allows for some compelling and interesting examinations into various heroes and villains. This focus on characters starts at the very beginning of the book, where lighthearted banter shows how close the members of the Justice League really are. It then develops into something more serious as the volume progresses and readers have a chance to see the contempt Luthor holds toward the world, the insanity of the Joker, and the self-doubt within both Martian Manhunter and John Stewart. These features add a character-driven element to the story and cause it to be more than just another example of the Justice League saving the world.

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Art

The majority of The Totality consists of some stellar artwork from Jorge Jiménez. His work here presents a detailed and aesthetically pleasing Justice League with a variety of imaginative locations to go alongside them. This means that the book looks good whether the action happens in the well-designed, new Hall of Justice or in the awe-inspiring, vast expanse of space.

The Totality also features artwork from both Jim Cheung and Doug Mahnke. Cheung’s more serious take on the characters can be seen in the first and final chapters of this collection. This gives the book a nice anchor in reality, which helps in introducing and wrapping up concepts. Meanwhile, Mahnke’s work presents characters that are more grim and gritty. This works well for the book as his chapter primarily focuses on the mechanisms of the Legion of Doom, which suits this particular art style perfectly. Overall, every artist helps add to this collection and make it more enjoyable.

Continuity

Justice League Vol. 1: The Totality is the first volume in a new Justice League comic series. However, it does somewhat continue plot points from the conclusion of the previous Justice League comic series, specifically the Dark Nights: Metal (Review) and No Justice (Review) events.

The story here continues in Justice League Vol. 2: Graveyard of Gods.

This volume also references stories from other comic books, detailed below:

• The Source Wall was broken back in Dark Nights: Metal (Review) (Reading Order), which also brought Hawkgirl back into contact with the Justice League.
• Numerous mentions are made to the events of Justice League: No Justice (Review), in which the Earth was attacked by Omega Titans.
• Luthor became a hero back in Justice League Vol. 6: Injustice League (Review). He received his Mother Box at the conclusion of Justice League: Darkseid War (Review) (Reading Order).
• The Justice League Dark is mentioned. Their latest adventures begin in Justice League Dark Vol. 1: The Last Age of Magic.
• The destruction of Xanshi and John Stewart’s role in it is detailed in Cosmic Oddessy #2, now collected in Cosmic Odyssey: The Deluxe Edition.
• One panel shows Joker’s (possible) time as a member of the Red Hood Gang. This story is told in Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year- Secret City (Review).
• Recent events involving Mera and Atlantis are mentioned. These events are explained in Mera: Queen of Atlantis.