Justice League of America. Vol. 2: Survivors of Evil

Kudos to writer Kindt and a fine crew of illustrators for fearlessly making the second arc of the Justice League's post-"New 52" series (collected here) dark and desperate, in which all of the league's heavy hitters are trapped in sentient mental prisons, allowing all manner of villains to run amok. Only Martian Manhunter and Stargirl are left to save the day. Readers may be befuddled as to whether they can, or did, or even could have accomplished the task. This volume has its merits, but since it is part of the Forever Evil crossover event, it will only make complete sense to readers familiar with that context, and the frequent instances of flashback and flash-forward get wearisome. The prerequisite mayhem is secondary to the revealing, sensitive reintroductions the story line provides for its two leads. Scenes of standard comic-book action and violence are suitable for most readers; includes a cover gallery.