The Good
It's great to see the team gather together for a threat that isn't a earth-shattering threat. Last issue we saw the team come together to deal with one of Wonder Woman's villains. She insisted it wasn't their problem but their insistance strengthened the relationship between the members. Seeing the team take on Cheetah was great. You could see that many of them didn't feel she was a threat and it really took some thinking and planning once they realized they couldn't just jump in and take her out.
Geoff Johns gives a nice twist on Cheetah as well as the mention of the past incarnations of Cheetah (Rich, Domaine and Ballesteros) that appeared in the pre-New 52 comics in the Golden and Silver Ages.
There is also more time spent fleshing out the developments between Superman and Wonder Woman. Many may have felt it was a stunt or a gimmick but Johns is showing that this is something he wants to spend time going over. Along the way, we get more character development for the two. Too often, both Superman and Wonder Woman have been depicted in a slightly cold manner. That is what is drawing them together. They are often seen as too powerful or above everyone else. This is the perfect chance for them to actually develop personalities rather than just being powerhouse characters.
Tony Daniel's art looks good here and Tomeu Morey's colors gives everything a nice orangish glaze that really sets the look apart from the previous issues.
Along with the twenty-page Justice League story, we also have a fourteen-page SHAZAM chapter in which we finally get to see more of who Black Adam in is in the New 52. I'm sure I'm not the only one that wishes we could get a full ongoing SHAZAM series by Johns and Gary Frank.
The Bad
The Cheetah battle started out strongly last issue but here it got a little repetitive and I found myself waiting for the conflict to end. What happens after the battle is definitely more interesting. I can appreciate the nature and need for the story on Cheetah and what it does to strengthen the bond between the members of the team. While I was first excited over the idea of Wonder Woman (and Steve Trevor) having a past with Barbara Minerva when she was an archeologist, here, it just became a matter of her wanting to slash all the members of the team with her claws.
Batman gets a little creepy.
The Verdict
You can really feel the team starting to come together as more than just being acquaintances. Geoff Johns is adding more character and personality to the members as we get to see a little more of what makes them tick. Having them take one one of Wonder Woman's foes was a great way to show they can be there for each other and some great teamwork was shown in dealing with the threat. The battle does get a little tedious and what happens afterwards with Cheetah as well as Superman and Wonder Woman is great to see. On top of that, we get another great chapter from Johns and Gary Frank with Black Adam and Shazam. If you're looking for action with all the big characters along with further developments, this is the book you'll want to check out.