Justice League 3000 #13 Review

Written by: J.M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen
Art by: Howard Porter
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: January 7, 2014

Ice, Ice Baby

Since this book first hit the shelves, it's been making a steady march to the top of my pile.  Actually, after Blue Beetle and Booster Gold showed up, it's been a sprint.  I have always loved Blue and Gold, but having hem in this book is a perfect fit. Add in a healthy dose of pop culture references, a jab at the "other" company and some self deprecating humor and you still only scratch the surface of how fun this book is to read.



Last issue ended with Booster and Beetle being chased by a big, fat Blue Beetle impostor and some demonic looking giant rats. It's actually even more fun than it sounds and DeMatteis  and Giffen use Beetle to bring everyone up to speed in a hilarious way. I'm glad to see them make the book as new reader friendly as possible since this book not only needs all the readers it can get, but deserves as big an audience it can muster.

The "battle" doesn't last long and is actually ended by the Takron-Galtos Sherrif that was keeping an eye on the two.  After a little more "catch-up, we get one of the best busts on Batman (and maybe Kevin Conroy) ever as the fat Beetle utters the Dark Knight's most famous lines.  I laughed out loud, but the laughter got louder at Booster Gold and Blue Beetle's priceless reaction.  I can only hope that DeMatteis and Giffen eventually get a Blue and Gold book because I could read a whole issue of them just busting on each other.  However, there are more characters in this book so it's off to Camelot Nine to catch up with the Justice League.

We don't get the entire League, but what we get here is great.  Teri is still adjusting to being the Flash and is driving Ariel nuts.  To get rid of her, Ariel sends her off to check on Wonder Woman.  Unfortunately, Wonder Woman is busy fighting Etrigan's demon army and busy getting...busy.  While Wonder Woman uses Teri's new found speed, Superman heads off to meet them.  I have loved "douchebag" Superman so much, but this issue really has him turning a new leaf.  DeMatteis and Giffen are smart fellas. Making Superman so horrible for so long is only making him that much more Super now.

The issue wraps up with Superman, Teri and Wonder Woman meeting up with former friend, Ice.  Being immortal, this is THE Ice who knew the real Wonder Woman and Superman and was a member of the Justice League.  Actually, in another hilarious moment, Wonder Woman reminds Ice she was a Justice League International member.  I have been waiting for the League to meet someone who knew the originals and it doesn't disappoint.  I said that Superman was turning a new leaf, but when he sees Ice it's back to being a douchebag.  If you ever wanted to see Superman use "Pound Town" in a sentence, get this issue.  The fun ends with a peeping Etrigan calling for another awesome guest star.  I won't spoil it, but they come hand-in-hand with Ice.  I can't wait.

I loved this issue.  I'm used to this book being fun, but this issue never let off the gas peddle.  If you like laughing, this book is made for you.  If I can use this little space to put in some requestsfor future guest stars, I want to see Guy Gardner, Green Arrow, Swamp Thing and Animal Man.  Please make it happen.

I love Howard Porter's art so much that I named him my Artist of the Year for 2014.  This is his best issue yet.  Everything looks great with the brief appearance of Etrigan being my favorite.  I hope we get more of the Demon next month because he looks so great.  I guess Howard has a leg up on 2015 already.

Bits and Pieces:

This issue had it all.  Humor, excitement, Blue Beetle, Booster Gold, fun and even more humor.  I laughed out loud the entire issue and can't wait until next month.  Howard Porter's art is second to none and everything in this book looks stunning.  I can't stress how good this book is and as an added bonus, this issue is so new user friendly.  If you aren't reading this book, do yourself a favor and at least give it a try.  Trust me, it's worth it.

9.5/10