DC Comics · ENGLISH

Justice League

2 · Vol. Justice League

What happens when the World's Greatest Detective takes on the world's most powerful alien? You'll find out when Batman and Superman throw down. Batman will need all his intellect, cunning and physical prowess to take on The Man of Steel. At the Central City crime lab, Barry Allen draws close to solving the case of a husband and father murdered in the parking lot of his office. However, Director Singh has other orders for him. At the directive of the Chief of Police, all police resources have been allocated to discovering the true identity of the Flash, a costumed vigilante with superhuman speed. Meanwhile, in Metropolis, Batman has emptied his utility belt fighting Superman and there is still no stopping the Kryptonian. Superman believes that Batman and Green Lantern are somehow tied to the alien invaders, who carried a box identical to the one Batman brought from Gotham. Green Lantern rejoins the fight, but he knows they’ll need backup. Green Lantern has previously joined forces with the Flash, most recently to save Central City from a talking gorilla. He knows that the Flash and Barry Allen are one and the same, and the Flash knows that he is Hal Jordan. Green Lantern calls upon the Flash now, knowing they can’t defend themselves from Superman without him. In an instant, the Flash runs from Central City to Metropolis. He’s the fastest man alive, faster even than Superman. Still, Superman’s speed is enough to land a blow on him, much to Flash’s surprise. Even though Superman bests him, the Flash has still distracted him long enough for Batman to reason with the Kryptonian. The Flash does his best to clean up the collateral damage, but Metropolis police soon arrive, driving the four vigilantes into the sewers. While the four seek safe harbor to study the box from Gotham, its twin from Metropolis arrives in a S.T.A.R. Labs facility in Detroit. Though they’ve made little progress, they discover that the box is broadcasting some kind of signal. Similar signals are being broadcast from New England, the District of Columbia, Central City, Coast City; all areas of meta-human activity. As a leading scientist in the study of the meta-human presence, Dr. Silas Stone heads off the research. He is interrupted by a visit from his son, Vic, who is upset that his father missed yet another game. Stone argues that his work is about to make his son’s abilities obsolete, and Vic is crushed. Just then, the boxes activate. Simultaneously, in Metropolis and in Detroit, their pinging increases in speed. They begin to glow, generating massive amounts of energy. With a reality-warping BOOM! each tears open an inter-dimensional portal, through which pour hordes of monstrous alien soldiers. In Detroit, Vic Stone gets caught in the portal’s energy, and his body quickly burns away before his father’s eyes...