DC Book Club Vol. I - JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE TOTALITY (2018)

Club Owner’s Note, 4.8.21: Thank you, to all our 900 DC Book Club members, for joining our very first installment to discuss JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE TOTALITY! If you’re still catching up on the reading, no problem at all! This is an ongoing discussion, and you can join in at any time :slight_smile:

Voting for our May selection has now closed- be sure to check the #dcbc tag on 2021-05-10T07:00:00Z and join our next discussion for SUPERMAN SMASHES THE KLAN (2019)!

Read on to see what we discussed in March 2021 for JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE TOTALITY!






This month, the DC Book Club is partnering with the
:justice_league_book_club: Justice League Book Club :justice_league_book_club: to bring you…

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THIS MONTH’S READING

They call it the Totality: the concentrated essence of the secret Source of all things. When it crash-lands in the Nevada desert, everyone and everything that comes into contact with it comes out… changed. And power like that attracts the power-hungry. The mad, the merciless, the monstrous.

The Legion of Doom.

Lex Luthor has assembled the Justice League’s archnemeses–Sinestro, Black Manta, the Cheetah, Gorilla Grodd and The Joker himself–into an unstoppable alliance, out to seize the Totality and use it for their own unspeakable plans, beginning with a brand-new Lantern Corps…

It’s League versus Legion as the universe’s greatest heroes and villains collide in Justice League Vol. 1: The Totality, from superstar writer Scott Snyder ( Dark Nights: Metal ) and artists Jorge Jimenez, Jim Cheung and Doug Mahnke. Collects Justice League #1-7. A new era for the DC Universe begins here!

You can find Justice League: The Totality right on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE, available to registered members for FREE the entire month of March 2021, no paid subscription required!

Club Owner’s note: This title is no longer available for free, but check back for each installment of the DC Book Club’s selected titles!


Feel free to post your comments and reactions below throughout the month of March,
and keep your eye on your DMs for more information on talent appearances and digital perks!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Issues #1-3
Feel free to answer any of the questions below you wish- no need to answer all of them!

  • Did reading this story make you want to learn more about a certain member of the Justice League?
  • When did Batman plant bombs inside the moon?
  • Did you find any moments particularly funny?
  • Do you think the comedy takes away or adds to the series?
  • Do you hear any celebrity voices when you read the characters?
  • How would you describe Jorge Jimenez’s art style?
  • Did you have a favorite moment or panel of artwork? Why did that stand out to you?

Issue #4-5
2021-03-22T07:00:00Z2021-03-29T07:00:00Z

  • The Source Wall, The Totality, Umbrax, The Keep of Mars, the Still Force, the First Force, Turtle, the Ultraviolet/Invisible Spectrum- how do you keep them straight? What is your understanding of their interplay?
  • Can you name all the Green Lanterns in this beautiful shot?
  • How did having a different writer (James Tynion IV) and artist (Doug Mahnke) on the Legion of Doom issue impact the overall reading of the story so far? Did the change in tone complement the experience?

  • As noted in issue #5: "If he could, [Lex Luthor] would ask you the question he asked the rest. ‘A legion that did not stand for people as they should be, but as they were, and would always be.’." Do you agree that people’s nature is fundamentally chaotic and doom-driven, as Luthor suggests?

  • In the back pages of issue #5, we see Scott Snyder outline each villain’s core beliefs. A throughline of these beliefs is that everyone should be “true” to themselves. Do you agree with any of these villains’ philosophies? Why or why not?


Issues #6-7

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  • On page 17 of issue #6, we see a culmination of our heroes grappling with their sense of blame and guilt for not being more forthcoming about their struggles.

How do you think the outcome of events might have been different if they had risked being vulnerable? Even if it didn’t make a difference in the events of THE TOTALITY, might this vulnerability have made a stronger team?

Thoom

  • Do you have a favorite pairing of heroes, villains, or hero + villain in this series? What did you like about that chemistry?

Foom

  • What do you think the final message of JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE TOTALITY was?

  • What will you be reading next?

SCHEDULE

  • 2021-03-01T08:00:00Z2021-03-31T07:00:00Z
    Looking for more Justice League titles to discuss?
    Check out the Justice League Book Club’s “Snyder Fest '21” kick-off, starting with Dark Nights Metal!

  • 2021-03-15T07:00:00Z2021-04-05T07:00:00Z
    Justice League: The Totality reading and open discussion in comments below

  • 2021-03-31T07:00:00Z
    Digital Perks- Find desktop & mobile wallpapers + printable bookmarks here!
    DC Book Club_Digital Perks Social_1920x1080



If you think our Book Club is fun, get a load of all the great conversations happening around the entire DC Community, all day err’day!

28 Likes

Alright! Looking forward to digging into this. :smiley:

15 Likes

The first issue of this title concerns the grand unknown threat, which only the Justice League can thwart.

It has cameos of many characters, which shows every super hero is part of the Justice League. They battle everywhere: underground, the air, the sea, in the jungle, in space.

They are pros.

They know what they are doing.

They hold the line.

But the first issue concentrates on the core nine.

For those who saw the Justice League Live Action movie

It is those six, plus Jon Stewart Green Lantern, Jonn Jonzz Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl.

For those who watched the Animated TV show, It Is those seven, plus Cyborg and Aquaman.

This title, by using all these members, feels

Nostalgic
Grand
Complete

But
Jonn Jonzz
The Martian Manhunter,
Is the breakout star of the first event.

It is not only his power set

And that the other core members of the Justice League made him
Chairman.

It is what shown about him

His loneliness

After the death of his family, really everybody, on Mars.

How he consider the League his family

It is the weight of his responsibility.

Of keeping the League members in communication with each other.

In taking action independently

In calling the Core Members in
To make a decision

As the World
Maybe the Universe
Faces Imminent Destruction

9 Likes

My favorite panel is

Eight Core Members
Seated around the
Justice League Table
Very reminiscent
Of the All Star Comic Cover
Of the original eight members of the
Justice Society of America
So very long ago.

8 Likes

I think you nailed it with these descriptors. The first few pages are spent showing us that the team is already a well-oiled machine, able to thwart danger and still sling quips around. They show their comfort with each other teasing Batman- they’re clearly old friends, and you can feel the history between them.

Getting to know Martian Manhunter better was one of my favorite parts of reading this. I also love that his power isn’t always in being a giant dragon- it’s also in keeping the team unified in a way a leader like Superman could never do. Martian Manhunter shows himself to be sensitive, caring, and thoughtful. I hope that by the end of the series he finds peace.

8 Likes

I love this run of Justice League. Jorge Jimenez has become one of my fave artists. I look forward to all that he does and I hope DC keeps him busy for a long time to come. I’d like to see this lineup if they ever get around to making more Justice League live action films.

I also really like how they bring events like Cosmic Odyssey into the modern continuity and the continuing ramifications of that event on people like John Stewart.

12 Likes

My first exposure to Martian Manhunter was in Blackest Night. That was (spoiler) obviously a very different version, but I was blow away by his character, and I’ve liked him in everything else I’ve seen him in since, especially this storyline.
I think these first several issues balanced things very well. You had a ton of action, humor, and intriguing mysteries to hook you. It also accomplished something very, very hard in team books-allowing each character to stand out without any one really dominating the others in a negative way.

9 Likes

I’m very excited to be joining this book club and thank you for making it :slight_smile:

13 Likes

Happy to be apart of this book club. Justice League is my favorite superhero team of all time

15 Likes

We’re super happy to have you here, @efreire87 and @blackwing2040! You’re in the right place if you like the Justice League! :slight_smile:

12 Likes

I’m a little bit confused as to what the book club is but hey, it involves reading comics and talking to other dc fans so it’s gotta be good!

12 Likes

@Quadpen , welcome to the DC Community - you’re already off to a good start! You can begin by reading JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE TOTALITY, then head right back here to join the discussion :slight_smile: You can either answer the discussion questions posted above, respond to other members, or just post your own reactions.

And if you have any questions, chances are other people have them too, so feel free to drop them here in chat :00_justice_league:

11 Likes

Hey guys, I just actually read this series from start to the latest issue on DCUI to get caught up to the almost present. I do like the camaraderie between the heroes. I am a fan of the art, which is not always the case with modern comics. The comedic moments add some relief to the world threatening crises.

9 Likes

See, I thought a book club involved having to stay ahead of Clark, Hector, Whitney, and Sam. With a month long thread I can probably keep up!

11 Likes

I liked this Vol 1 Justice League Book Club, it was good and enjoyable.

11 Likes

That’s great to hear you liked it, @Overwatch0! Were there any standout moments or characters for you?

8 Likes

Welcome to DC Universe Infinite @blackwing2040!:grinning:

7 Likes

Favorite panel of artwork was in Issue #3, page 2 the full view of Ultraviolet John Stewart.

9 Likes

@Bendrada, welcome back! And I actually took a screenshot of that artwork because I thought it was so breathtaking. I love the details of the symbols in his flesh.

I also really love the way Jimenez does The Flash’s facial expressions- it feels like he captures everyone’s personality really well, and that especially came through in these panels:
Screen Shot 2021-03-11 at 9.00.28 PM

11 Likes
  1. I love the comedy, it makes them feel like a family rather than coworkers
  2. Honestly I hear them in their dcau voices pretty much exclusively
  3. Jorge’s art style is very stylized but I think that works in his favor tbh, it gives the characters a lot of expression and motion and, as much as I also love realistic styles, it looks pretty cool :sunglasses:
8 Likes