Manga Review: Batman & the Justice League Vol. 2 by Shiori Teshi
Batman is a popular, but niche character in Japan. A fair number of manga creators are big fans of Batman and his various incarnations, so every so often a licensed Batman manga appears. The big difference this time is that other superheroes are coming along for the ride.
Japanese teen Rui Aramiya’s parents are kidnapped, and he turns to the Justice League for help. In the previous volume, his mother Sayuri was rescued from the power plant where she’d been imprisoned by Lex Luthor and the Joker. However, her shrine maiden abilities have gone off the rails, making her dangerous.
In this volume, the focus shifts a bit as Aquaman’s brother Orm, the Ocean Master, escapes imprisonment and decides to wipe out Gotham City. Orm’s more powerful than ever before, especially when the Joker and new villain Akurou (who wears a theatrical Japanese demon mask) show him how to tap into ley lines.
A fair amount of time is spent on the emotional connection and misunderstanding between the two brothers Meanwhile, Batman continues to be very grumpy (Robin died recently) and only begrudgingly accepting the assistance of Superman and Wonder Woman. They’re de-emphasized this volume, but still get some nice moments.
The art is decent, a little heavy on the bishounen (pretty boy) end, which doesn’t work for all the characters.
Rui suffers some from being the Japanese insert character; he’s pivotal to the overall plot but kind of bland, while Akurou at least gets to be theatrical.
I recommend this volume primarily for Aquaman fans; it remains to be seen how well the rest of the series holds up.
