Noob Review: Justice Leauge Dark Vol 2 – An Occult Classic

Justice League Dark Volume 2
(w) Jeff Lemire
(a) Mikel Janin
DC Comics
$16.99 (TPB)

I went into Justice League Dark volume two with reservations. Volume one was hit or miss and mainly had a cool gross out factor (remember the witch?) and awesome lines from Constantine. Volume 2 has a much better story. The characters are a lot more developed, and I enjoy their interactions. It was like volume one was the pilot, with a bunch of forced characterizations, and volume two is onto the main series.

I was really happy to see the main cast of characters thinned a bit. I enjoy the characters for the most part, but some of the minor characters get a little annoying, so it’s nice for them to pop out and in from time to time (except Deadman, I thoroughly enjoy him for some reason). Shade is pretty much annoying all the time, and Andrew is too broody. So I enjoy my breaks from them.

Another highlight is the story, for the most part, seemed more put together. I could figure out what was going on the whole time. I knew the characters because every new character has a little bit of an introduction or story to go along with them.

I think my favorite part wasn’t actually part of the main story. It was John Constantine and Zatanna Zatara background story. It made their love/hate relationship that much more understandable and made Constantine seem a little bit more like a regular person and a little less like a selfish jerk.

The art was great. There were several art styles and each one is impressive. I have no complaints on the art department.

The main reason why I was disappointed in this story was because at the end of Rise of the Vampires: The Leaving there was no clear-cut ending. It just stopped at Andrew Bennet charging into battle and then you flip to the next page and it’s a new story. I would have liked a little more conclusion on that one.

But all in all it’s a decent read. I think it’s better than volume one. Read it yourself and tell me what you think.

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In the real world Tattoogirl is known as Mai Byers and is a store manager at a video game store. She loves all things nerdy but has only recently gotten interested in the American comic book scene. She writes the column Point of Entry and reviews books and comics incessantly. It’s not just a clever name, she has 30 tattoos. Contact her at maibyers@gmail.com
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