I admit it... I watch Justice League. The Bruce Timm designs, the new spins on familiar and sometimes obscure DC characters, the a mature treatment than we saw with Super Friends two or three decades ago... what's not to like? Sure, the show seems primarily targeted to kids; my buddy's five-year-old's fascination with the Flash is a testament to that fact. But it's a diverting little show, lack of complexities aside. Thus far, the comic-book series based on the show accomplishes the same thing, though this plot is a little on the obvious side.
An army of White Martians that lay in hiding on Mars has launched a new all-out assault on Earth, but the Martian Manhunter discovers that they send an advance agent... a spy who has taken on the identity of a member of the Justice League. J'Onn has no idea which one of his teammates might be the imposter, though, and thanks to precautions taken against the White Martians' telepathy, the Manhunter can't use his mind-reading powers to expose the secret either. It comes to a process of elimination, and the clock is ticking as the White Martian fleet approaches.
Delaney tells the story clearly and captures the prescribed-style of the cartoon nicely. I wasn't as fond of his more angular interpretation of animated DC characters in Adventures in the DC Universe a few years ago, but that more elongated, exaggerated approach isn't to be found here. The linework here strikes me as a mite too thick, though, making for some inky visuals that don't convey motion as well as they could. The colors also wash out panels here and there, giving the art a flat look.
The greatest strength of McCloud's script is how it builds on the animated Justice League continuity without sacrificing accessibility. Even someone who didn't see all or any of the three chapters of "Secret Origins" will have no trouble delving into this story. One also gets a strong sense of the J'Onn J'Onzz character... his empathy, his isolation and his thoughtfulness.
McCloud's plot is a familiar one, but a smart one. Younger readers will no doubt enjoy the seemingly novelty of a story about a villain hiding among the ranks of the heroes. Unfortunately, McCloud's attempt at a "twist" falls flat, as it's quite obvious early on what it's going to be. What's supposed to be a suspenseful story is robbed of its suspense. Nevertheless, McCloud delivers the same thing that previous writers on this title have, and that's some fun super-heroics that can draw younger readers into the world of comics.
