This week from DC Comics we get one of the best renewed titles post Future State. In Future State we jumped ahead and saw the make up of the new JLA, but in the here and now the pieces are just now coming together. Story aside, Justice League 60 really is just that. The puzzle takes shape as the expected members group up for the first time, and things will not be easy. I really did not follow the old Justice League very much. I stuck to the Gotham titles for the most part, but this new composition really intrigues. For the first time, Justice League 60 finally brings all the members together for the first time.

How are they gonna make this work? The JLA just lost their heart. Diana is no longer around, so the ‘trinity’ now lays broken. It was bad enough the team consisted of an eternal optimist, the eternal pessimist, the eternal disbeliever, the comedian, the fish representative and your assorted aliens. Now on top of that Superman wants to add a kid, an former enemy and an Amazon queen who (with rare exception) has never stepped foot off her island and into the real world.

Nothing Unites Like an Enemy

A new foe now threatens the world by the name of Brutus. He can toe to toe with the strongest of the Justice League and he popped up in several places across the globe already. His powers attracted the strongest of Earth’s defenders all to one place, and this is where differences collide.

The newest member of the DC world is Naomi. A teenager that just found out she not only has super powers, but she comes from another Earth. It turns out her Earth also serves as home to Brutus. Black Adam fought the new titan and now seeks out Naomi for answers. There is just one problem. Adam used to be considered a villain, so when he surfaces, Superman shows up right behind him, ready to stop Adam’s evil ways, but after a few words Supes realizes Adam is only following the same mission as the JLA. I love how Naomi, Superman and Adam carry on a casual conversation while hovering hundreds of feet in the air. Doesn’t everybody do that?

Naomi becomes the key to solving the Brutus problem, and Superman knows Adam could become a valuable ally in the fight ahead. He also senses something different in Adam. Back to JLA HQ they go, and this is where the fun begins.

A Puzzle Takes Shape – Let Personalities Collide

Superman sees potential in Black Adam and hope where others see a dark past. He thinks Adam might be at some type of crossroad, and joining the JLA might be the push in the right direction he needs. The rest of the JLA disagrees, especially Oliver Queen. I love the back and forth between the members as they ‘discuss’ the merits of Superman’s proposal. Most seem against the idea, but if you watch closely, you’ll notice one individual keeps his mouth shut. Batman simply sits back and watches every one else.

I love the zoom out shot where Naomi and Adam are left standing in the hall by themselves. The Justice League debates the future, while they are left loitering and watching down below. They debate the merits of people’s ability to change and when Canary sees Naomi waving wildly, her first thought is Naomi needs to go to the bathroom.

Brutus is on the move once more, and this time his actions drag in our final piece of the puzzle, Hippolyta. Brutus attacked Themyscira and found out how strong and numerous the Amazons are. He flees to Central City, but Hippolyta follows him there through his own portal. Wanting pay back for the beating she took, Hippolyta joins the team despite her reservations about Black Adam.

A Puzzle Takes Shape – Run For the Future

Then we come to the solution. Instead of the JLA waiting for Brutus to make his next move, the JLA will move on him. Naomi knows where he lives, her old Earth home. They recruit her to take the team to find Brutus and stop him on his own turf. The question becomes how do they get there? Thankfully, the resident speedster is also the resident genius. Flash assembles a contraption that looks like a cross between the Power Rangers morphing grid from the movie and something from Legends of Tomorrow. Flash’s contraption basically takes a tread mill and eight platforms (with logos of course) with handle bars, and turns it into a dimension jumper.

Flash runs really fast to power the contraption. We see lots of lightning and POOF! …..Naomi shows up, but where did the rest of the team go? Uuuuuhh boy. This can’t be good.

A Puzzle Takes Shape – JL Dark Team Forms Up

I really haven’t liked DC adding all these half stories onto their major titles. Some work well, but others just drag the issue down. The stories just seem fractured and incomplete, but now that a few of the multi-story issues have hit the stands, they are growing on me. The stories finally begin to flow a bit better now that we have a few under our belts. The Justice League Dark stories are growing on me.

In the last issue we learned Merlin may not be the wizard we thought he was. In fact he seems to like power and cares little for other life forms. I’m not 100% clear what Merlin intends, but it involves releasing bad magical things that can’t be good for the rest of the world. In fact whatever he just released either brought or they are a bunch of Harpies. They seem hungry for manuscript collectors.

Thankfully the Justice League Dark is on the case. Batman helps assemble the team to find Merlin and stop him. Most of this story seems to focus on them – Zatanna, Constantine, Bobo the chimp, and Etrigan. This could be interesting. Etrigan isn’t know as a team player, and only a few (Batman) can control his impulses, keeping him in line. Batman’s little aside to Etrigan about why he put Zatanna in charge does not speak well for her leading this group. I love the exchange between Etrigan and Batman. When Batman tries to threaten Etrigan into protecting and complying with Zatanna, Etrigan sneers ‘I am a demon from hell’. Batman’s response? ‘and I’m Batman’. Only Batman could pull off a line like that.

When we stumble upon the harpies, we also discover Ragman may be joining the group. He, Rory Regan, stumbles upon the bird ladies feasting on his friend, he calls upon his mystical powers and becomes Ragman. This should be an interesting story going forward!

What did you guys think about Justice League and Justice League Dark? How will Naomi handle being stranded and where is the rest of the team? Will Zatanna be able to effectively lead this team against Merlin? Head over to DC Fanatics on Facebook and tell us what you think.