I picked up Justice League 3000 #15 because of the cover that has the best joke I have ever seen printed on a comic cover. It’s a callback to all those Silver Age comic books that tricked readers into picking up a book with a scene that never happens within. It’s quite funny and I just couldn’t pass it up.
Beetle and Booster! Fire and Ice! The Injustice League (no, not that one – this is a different one)! Plus, the stuff that’s on the cover! C’mon, people! We’re bending over backward here! Pick up this comic before it’s too late!
Justice League 3000 issue #15 is a difficult book to pin down and the above blub from DC does little to help. It reads like a fever dream that managed to manifest into a published project. In a world of serious tales that are looking to win the next big award, Justice League 3000 says “Screw it! Let’s just have some fun.”
The book (of which I have never read before) opens with Etrigan on his throne in the demon territory speaking with one-time justice league member Fire. Anyone that read the Death of Superman arc will remember the JLA and its pretty weak roster at the time. Anyways, we seem to be in the future (the whole 3000 bit), but living this adventure out in some sort of Camelot like setting. It’s weird and makes absolutely no sense to new readers, but I love it.
The story seems to be pitting this new, much more annoying, Justice League against Etrigan and his horde of demons. We are never briefed on why this is happening, or why technology exists in this world, but the story doesn’t really care to let us in on anything. We do get a little backstory on some of the new JLA members, but it’s mostly there to fill up space.
What I did mange to pull out of the story is that both Fire and Ice are the same heroes that we knew from the modern age. Somehow they have ended up alongside this new Justice League and serve as comic relief. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern are all here, but they seem to share much different personalities than their modern-day counterparts. This leads to a number of really fun scenes and a lot of back and forth.
The writing is pretty witty and helps keep you invested, even if you have no idea what it going on (being int he demon world will do that). This new Justice League may be from the year 3000, but they sure tend to act like teenagers, especially Batman and Superman. It’s all in good fun though, as the books middle section is chock full of action beats that are most entertaining. This book really does feel more old-fashioned in it’s writing and tone, but in this respect it works in its favor.
The art is always well done, and aside from a few inconsistencies in the detail work, serves to highlight the books writing. Lots of clean lines and easy to follow panel work really make Justice League 3000 #15 a fun read. It’s not going to blow anyone away, but it sure is a lot of fun and a book that is now on my radar.
I recommend this one if you want to just relax and have a bit of fun with some good action beats, and seeing Ice do the whole Elsa ice queen look from Frozen is a plus.
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