Justice League Dark #2 Review and **SPOILERS**

Who Stole the Soul?

Writer: James Tynion IV 

Pencils: Alvaro Martínez Bueno 

Inks: Raul Fernandez 

Colors: Brad Anderson 

Letters: Rob Leigh 

Cover: Martinez Bueno, Fernandez, Anderson 

Variant Cover: Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, Fco Plascencia 

Assistant Editor: Andrew Marino 

Editor: Rebecca Taylor 

Group Editor: Marie Javins 

Cover Price: $3.99 

On Sale Date: August 22, 2018

**NON SPOILERS AND SCORE AT THE BOTTOM**

Once more we return to the Dark…bringing Justice! Maybe we should have brought a flashlight. Take a look at my review of Justice League Dark #2, which has been conveniently posted right here!

Explain It!

We had a nice meet-and-greet with many of the members of DC Universe’s magic-wielding set last issue, but there were a few notable folks missing. Most notably, I think, was Doctor Fate, that creepy character blend of Ancient Egyptian mysticism and Colonial-era witchery, who lives in a blank tower just North of Boston. Well, it’s time to pay him a visit, necessary demonic palms having been greased by Fate’s familiarity with Zatanna and Wonder Woman. Which, if this is the Khalid Nassour version, wouldn’t make any sense…but it isn’t, it’s Nelson Kent. So it does make sense, if you care to wipe away the Doctor Fate series from the New 52. I’m okay with that, personally.

Wonder Woman and Zatanna, plus Man-Bat and Detective Chimp, seek an audience with Nabu, the mystical entity that inhabits Doctor Fate’s helm and gives him all his magicky powers. Fate is glad to make introductions—but only for Wonder Woman and Zatanna; Kirk Langstrom and Bobo have to stay behind. Before bringing out Nabu, however, Doctor Fate regales the ladies with the tale of how magic was discovered and contained…and that sounds boring as hell. So let’s check in with Swamp Thing, who is hanging around the Tree of Wisdom, trying to figure out why it’s all screwy or whatever. John Constantine shows up, and asks if the rest of the team knows that ol’ Swampy is going to hang up his vines and retire to the Parliament of Trees. I mean, if he wants to get a gold watch, Swamp Thing should let them know.

Back at Doctor Fate’s pad, Bobo and Kirk are futzing around with various curios, when Man-Bat knocks over a vase that reveals…Khalid Nassour?! Looks like he’s been trapped by Nabu himself, who is masquerading as Doctor Fate! In the spooky magic realm, Wonder Woman comes to this conclusion simultaneously, which is just as well because it looks like Khalid got his with the Infninty Gauntlet and dissipated away. Nabu’s plan is to rid the world of magic—which represents chaos—and in order to do so he has to let weirdo monsters run amok or something? The point is moot for Wonder Woman and Zatanna anyway, since they are sent to some pitch black dimension inhabited by some kind of albino frog monster! And Zee is without her backwards magic!

I found this issue’s story a lot more interesting, and a lot less invested in fan service than the last one. Even though Bobo and Man-Bat were sort of sidelined they still played a role, and every other character mattered to the issue as well. You might expect a book about magic-users to look like the poster for a late-1960s rock concert, but the story is plainly-told through expertly-rendered sequential panels, and folks shouldn’t worry that they might get lost in the ethereal workings of the horror-based comic book. I had a great time with this, I’m interested in every dangling thread, and I can’t wait to read the next issue. I also wouldn’t mind if Khalid returned to use Nabu’s helm, but let’s see if Diana and Zatanna can get out of that gross dungeon first!

Bits and Pieces:

A new character brings some clarity to the story, instead of introducing a lot of new, confusing elements. How about that? It's almost like a story to be read sequentially. This issue is visually arresting and should impress everyone on that level. The story is picking up fast, and fans of these characters and the DCU magic trappings will be as happy as a pig turned by Circe.

8/10