Noteworthy Issues: Justice League: Last Ride #2 (June, 2021)

The first issue of Justice League: Last Ride showed a future world where the Justice League basically no longer exists because the Martian Manhunter died on some mission, and Batman and Superman appear to blame both themselves and each other for that happening.

What exactly went wrong?

Issue:  Justice League: Last Ride #2, June 2021

Writer:  Chip Zdarksky

Artist:  Miguel Mendonca

The Plot:  Some secrets are revealed as the remains of the Justice League transport Lobo to Apokalips to see that he stands trial.

Commentary:  OK, to be clear, this issue doesn’t tell the full story of what went down on Apokalips, how the Martian Manhunter died, or why Batman and Superman blame each other for it.  I can hazard a few guesses based on what’s been said so far.  Superman blames Batman because it was Batman’s plan, it’s always Batman’s plan, and the plan may have gotten J’onn killed on purpose.  Batman maybe blames Superman because the Man of Steel maybe couldn’t hold off Darkseid long enough for Batman and J’onn to do what they had to for a particularly bad, tense mission that got a lot of other people killed as well.

Seriously, Aquaman dies in a flashback in this issue, coming in to see a Boom Tube from Apokalips dropping a bomb into the ocean, and this while there are mass evacuations going on of major cities and Wonder Woman and the Amazons are fighting what may be a losing battle against the Female Furies.  And that’s just on Earth as Darkseid is also attacking Oa to kill the Guardians and get the Central Power Battery for himself.  Since the Flash is confirmed to be Wally West here, I am guessing Barry Allen might not have made it out of all this either.  So, why is the death of J’onn and not who knows how many others the reason for Superman and Batman’s mutual disdain?

And how much of all this is the two blaming themselves as much as each other?

Batman, as a character, will brood and focus inward quite a bit under normal circumstances, but is he doing this moreso because of that last mission?

Superman, as seen, is doing far, far more than he used to while keeping Lois Lane stashed away in the Fortress of Solitude.  Does he think he should have saved J’onn?

And why does Lobo, the prisoner the League needs to keep alive, believe the heroes are going to die on Apokalips?  Does he know something the others don’t, or is he planning on doing it himself?

So far, I am really enjoying this story.  It may be one of the better Justice League stories that I have read in quite some time.

Grade:  A