Justice League Is Finally Trying To Fix Its Angst Problem
Warning: contains preview images for Justice League Annual 2022!
Thanks to Wonder Woman’s return, the Justice League is finally addressing its angst problem. In a preview for Justice League Annual 2022, on sale February 8 in print and digital, Diana of Themyscira returns to the Justice League after a brief absence, and Hawkgirl marks this joyous occasion with a party. And while Hawkgirl’s mood is jovial, she also calls out the Justice League’s angst problem.
The Justice League has experienced a tumultuous year. After Wonder Woman saved the multiverse at the conclusion of Dark Nights Death Metal, she disappeared for a short while, on a journey of her own. While Wonder Woman was away, the League reformed. Joining long-time League stalwarts such as Superman, Green Arrow and Black Canary were newcomers such as Hippolyta, Naomi McDuffie and Black Adam. This League has run afoul of alien warlords, an upgraded Royal Flush Gang and is currently teaming up with the Legion of Super-Heroes. Wonder Woman’s odyssey through the multiverse has come to an end and she is ready to return to the Justice League. The return of one of the League’s greatest members is a cause for celebration, and Hawkgirl, also a member of the League’s latest incarnation, decides to throw her a party. Justice League Annual 2022 is written by Brian Michael Bendis, illustrated by Sanford Greene, colored by Greene and Matt Herms, and lettered by Josh Reed.
When readers meet Hawkgirl in the preview, she is lamenting that the lives of her and fellow Leaguers are in “constant crisis.” Hawkgirl wants to take a break from the misery to celebrate Wonder Woman’s return to the League. As Hawkgirl continues, she believes that the public only sees the League at their darkest moments and that for once, she wanted to show a happy side to the Justice League. Wonder Woman arrives, and readers learn Hawkgirl has planned a surprise party for Diana.
The preview ends there, and readers will have to wait until February 8 to see what kind of party Hawkgirl has put together, but her assessment of how the public views the League is accurate. Fans tend to see the Justice League in big, larger-than-life fights; they only see the team when the chips are down. While this is par for the course for a superhero team, the League is seen as extra dark. Hawkgirl is calling this out in the preview where she says, "Everyone sees every terrible moment of our lives." So, it's clear that she wants the public (readers) to see the League can be fun sometimes, and that it is not all doom and gloom. Some of the League’s most enduring incarnations, such as the Justice League International or the Big Seven, remembered this, mixing in amazing, and poignant, character moments amongst the fighting.
Wonder Woman’s return to the Justice League is a momentous occasion and it also goes a long way to address the League’s angst issues.