Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, the team behind DC’s superhero comedy classic Justice League International, Justice League 3000 is the quirkiest of the publisher’s Justice League titles, spotlighting a cast of clones in the far future that resemble iconic characters in appearance, but definitely not in personality. The 31st century setting allows the writers a lot of freedom to build new characters and environments, which have been very nicely designed by regular artist Howard Porter. But more importantly, they can tell a story that is distanced from the larger events happening in the rest of DC’s line.
Turn the Justice League into a bunch of jerks? Sure. Make Camelot the team’s headquarters? Why not. Bring back Booster Gold and Blue Beetle? Sounds fun! The return of Booster and Ted was the opening shot of a storyline that sees Giffen and DeMatteis reuniting the old JLI crew in the future, and this week’s Justice League 3000 #14 shines the spotlight on Tora “Ice” Olafsdotter, immortal ice goddess. Having lived through the last 1,000-plus years, Tora has a valuable perspective on past events, and she gives the League a history lesson this week.
Guest artist Andy Kuhn fills in for Porter on #14, and while it’s a dramatic shift in style, it’s a change that works very well for the title. Kuhn’s cartoonish aesthetic pulls a lot of expression from the characters, and Hi-Fi’s colors really pop when paired with Kuhn’s streamlined linework. It’s a different look for the book, but it’s not unwelcome, placing greater emphasis on the strongest aspect of Giffen and DeMatteis’ writing: the humor.