Never-Ending Stories And Commercials

Justice League International annual 1
DC Comics
Geoff Johns and Dan Didio, writers
Jason Fabok, artist

Superhero comics are by nature ongoing, continuing stories. The characters rarely undergo real change so they can continue to be recognizable as they go through their various adventures. But within that ongoing narrative, there are several beginnings and endings. Story arcs come and go, wax and wane. Plot threads get tied up and give way to new plot threads. At least the best stories do.

Not every comic has to be a done-in-one, but the reader can be left feeling unsatisfied if every story serves only to move you into the next story with never a chance to pause and take stock. But more and more, some comics seem to be just that. Not really a story in and of themselves, but merely a teaser for the next big thing, which ends up being a teaser for the next big thing and so on. That seems to be the case for this comic.

I confess, I haven't kept up with the New 52 Justice League International title. I tried it for the first story arc, but dropped the book after issue 6, largely because I didn't like the changes made in the main character, team leader Booster Gold, from his old incarnation. So I have no frame of reference going into this annual for what came immediately before. I just know Justice League International has been canceled.

This is a team falling apart and we see evidence of that as this story opens with Booster trying to salvage the team and failing. One member simply walks out following the completion of the JLI's most recent mission. Then another proceeds to attack the rest of the team, incapacitating most of them, including two new members just brought in for this annual. Booster finally manages to take down the threat, but just as he does, he is interrupted by the arrival of a future version of himself. Future Booster starts talking about things the reader knows nothing about, confusing current Booster, too, and then mysteriously vanishes. Current Booster is left to wonder about what has just happened for a page before he, too, vanishes unexpectedly. A final scene follows to let readers know that none of the various incapacitated JLI members actually died. The ultimate threat remains a mystery and the book closes with the line "To be continued in Justice League in 2013!"

People grow tired and lose interest in never-ending stories after a while, and who among us doesn't fast-forward through the commercials whenever possible or refocus our attention elsewhere when they come on; so why would I want zero resolution and non-stop teasers in my comics?