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No Justice: DC's next best jumping-on point?

Art by Francis Manapul

In 2018, DC brought down the curtain on its Rebirth line of comics with Dark Nights: Metal, an epic event book that ended with the destruction and reconstruction of the universe itself. Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV and Joshua Williamson (the brains behind the event) followed this up with No Justice, a four-part miniseries addressing the current state of the DCU. This might all sound a bit too continuity-heavy for new readers, but don't worry - No Justice is in fact an excellent jumping-on point.

As well as starring the Justice League, No Justice also features the Teen Titans and a handful of fan-favourite villains. These characters have been brought together by classic Superman villain Brainiac and sorted into four rag-tag teams to counter new threats that have surfaced in the wake of Metal. Regardless of your level of DC knowledge, you'll find at least a few recognisable heroes in this book and maybe even be introduced to some new favourites. 

Flash, Beast Boy and Harley Quinn are among those featured in the crossover

The plot is more-or-less your standard team-up adventure - each group is initially very problematic, but they eventually all figure out how to work together. Luckily, Snyder and his fellow writers keep it entertaining with great character dynamics and dialogue, as well as a fair share of plot-twists and world-building. It's a well-paced story that many readers will finish in a single sitting - each chapter drives the plot forward, and it isn't any longer or shorter than it needs to be. 

All it takes is a quick flip-through to see just how visually stunning No Justice is. Francis Manapul's wonderful pencils and inks evoke the feeling of watching a Saturday-morning superhero cartoon, enhanced by Hi-Fi's beautifully ambient colours. Riley Rossmo and Marcus To fill in as artists in the third chapter, but they still keep with the rest of the book's style by following the innovative layouts provided by Manapul.

In No Justice, the heroes are up against the colossal Omega Titans

No Justice isn't particularly ground-breaking as far as superhero stories go, but it's still an absolute joy to read. Serving as both the latest-and-greatest place to start for new DC fans and a fresh status-quo shift for seasoned readers, it's a comic that deserves to be recommended to comic readers across the spectrum.

Rating: 7.5/10

All four parts of No Justice are collected in a single paperback volume, also available in digital form on Comixology. If you're still on the fence, have a look at the free prelude, featuring the super slick art of Jorge Jimenez.

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