Justice League #23

Written by Tom Defalco

Penciled by Tom Derenick
Cover by Paul Pelletier
Published Jun 21 2017

   The Justice League received a tip that panned out. Terrorists in Nomalia. But while Batman and Wonder Woman battle it out, Glenn Lantern Jessica has her hands full. A strange neo-patriotic maniac who claims to be on the good guys' side threatens the people in the city. She carelessly attacks and the Black Shield is able to repel her aimlessly into the sky and into an apartment building. Once she gets her bearings, the mother of a child inside scolds her for nearly killing her daughter.

"Ugh.. looks like that Justice League infestation is creeping up again..."

   Back in the town square, the Black Shield aims a rocket launcher and fires a device skyward. Too far gone for Batman and Wonder Woman to intercept, they call on Jessica. She fails to answer their call. Luckily she collects herself just in time and flies towards the missile, encapsulating it in green energy and keeping the Batman-assumed deadly mist from escaping.

Hey Batman - Can you do this?!

   Aboard the Watchtower, Cyborg analyzes the weaponized mist and confirms it can melt human flesh. He tells them there was a raid on some recent biotech labs. Batman readies a plan to question the prisoners who were in cahoots with the Black Shield. But first he asks Jessica what happened to her. Wonder Woman follows her and gets the answers. Jess underestimated the Black Shield and it could have caused human casualties. What if she'd have killed that poor child? Batman of course appears to tell her that her actions saved many. Jessica asks what about Black Shield, and Wonder Woman has an idea.

"Bats. This is taking too long. Move out of the way while I throw this steel thing at them. I'm sure that'll loosen em up.."

   They walk to the brig to interrogate the goons and though they seem resistant at first, Wonder Woman bends a steel bar and scares them into obviously revealing something. Because the next time Black Shield appears with his radicalized followers in tow, the three members of the Justice League are there to intervene. Again he tries to tell them they're all co-vigilantes, and as Wonder Woman hits him, it only somehow makes him more powerful. He belittles her, telling her to can the pop philosophy. Escaping through a construction site,  they give chase until he lands from a jump with enough force to knock them both back. The distraction gives time for Jess set a trap, scooping him up in some green energy shovels, and imprisoning him in an hourglass. The Black Shield mocks her, telling her she hasn't won and fires several rockets.

"Jessica, come in. This is Cyborg. You haven't won yet..."

   Jess is flustered but Batman and Wonder Woman tell her she's got this. She blasts green energy at the projectiles, capturing each one. Wonder Woman cheers while Batman of course is now even more suspicious of her. The issue wraps with Black Shield telling her she aided terrorism but she's not swayed. She saved innocent people. She might not be on the rest of the league's level yet, but she knows she's learning from her mistakes and will get there. And with that, this story is concluded.
   I'm not sure why there's so many creative teams swapping in and out of this book but it's making me nervous. Perhaps they're just trying to find the right combo but I don't see how with this much variance, they'll ever find something that sticks. It might be on the cusp of making a solid connection but there's really no way to know before hand. Either way, these one shot stories are still always a breath of fresh air. Tom Defalco is steeped in experience, honing some of the greatest comic book characters we see today. This was no exception. If he's here for long, this series is in good hands. Only one way to find out though. I give this one an 8/10.

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