Justice, Vol. 2

The epic battle between hero and villain rages on in this second volume of artist Alex Ross's ambitious tales of the greatest heroes of the DC Comics universe. After Lex Luthor, the Riddler and other villains share a vivid dream in which the Earth is destroyed for trusting in the superheroes, they strike hard against the Justice League, immobilizing many heroes and offering to help the world in ways the League never did. As Ray Palmer (the Atom) struggles for his life, a mysterious force continues to control Batman. Badly beaten and struggling, the heroes converge on the Fortress, where they realize that saving the Earth may not be as simple as stopping the villains. Together, Ross and Krueger craft an epic story, compelling in its delivery and a swift read. The choice of using incarnations of characters outside of DC's current story lines makes it accessible to all fans, and the story requires no broad understanding of their history. Paired with Braithwaite, Ross has a different sense of anatomy in his art, but it's as rich and vivid as ever. (Oct.)