The people of Earth don't seem to notice that their new Justice League has been swapped out for a squad of shapeshifting White Martians in Future State: Justice League #2, but then again the League's members don't particularly know each other in the first place.
Written by Joshua Williamson and Ram V
Art by Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Marcio Takara, and Marcelo Maiolo
Lettered by Tom Napolitano and Rob Leigh
Published by DC
'Rama Rating: 6 out of 10
Despite the meta-aspects raised in the first part of Joshua Williamson's 'Future State' story here, he ultimately doesn't develop these any further. Instead, the emphasis is on his heroes' efforts to escape the planet they've been trapped on in order to get back to saving their own.
A confrontation is expected from the outset and therein lies a frequent problem with Williamson's scripting, that their conclusions are never as interesting as the early stages suggest they could be. Even a formidable art team like Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques, and Romulo Fajardo Jr. can't do much to liven up the dull rhythms of heroes fighting their doppelgangers.
As for the back-up, the Ram V-penned portions of 'Future State' have been some of the initiative's best efforts, though in wrapping up his Justice League Dark tale, it feels like it could've needed a few more pages to massage the pacing.
The Justice League Dark team makes one last stand against Merlin and his forces, but V is also sure to invest some time in examining why they fight. It makes for some strong character work, particularly when it comes to Etrigan and Detective Chimp, and there's still space for Marcio Takara and Marcelo Maiolo to dazzle. The battle is depicted by them in spellbinding fashion without the pages getting overwhelmed by crackles, energy bursts and the like. It's just a shame that the creative team has to bring this particular story to a hasty close, though knowing that Ram V has more work with the Justice League Dark on the way – even if they're back-ups rather than a continuation of the ongoing – helps to soften the blow.
Check out Newsarama's list of the best Justice League line-ups of all time.
