Justice League #4, “The Extinction Machines” Part 4
Writer: Bryan Hitch
Pencils: Jesus Merino
Inks: Andy Owens & Jesus Merino
Colors: Tomeu Morey
Letters: Richard Starkings & Comicraft
Cover: Fernando Pasarin & Brad Anderson
Variant Cover: Yanick Paquette & Nathan Fairbairn
Assists: Amedeo Turturro & Diego Lopez
Edits: Brian Cunningham
Warning: Potential Spoilers Ahead!
Bryan Hitch and a few new artists bring Justice League #4, and the fourth part of “The Extinction Machines” storyline.
The story takes interesting twists and turns in this issue. The world is falling apart – quite literally – and the heroes of the League are running out of time. The Purge is active and ongoing. But, everything may not be as it seems. And, in Justice League #4, the chaos builds.
The art in Justice League #4 is incredible. The issue features sprawling panels and splash pages with intricate detail. I noticed Justice League #4 seemed to rely less on lines for shading, and instead made excellent use of shades of color to provide contrast and depth. The pacing was swift, moving readers from panel to panel with purpose and including very few pauses in the action.
With Hitch cranking out Justice League and Justice League of America issues these past three weeks, the theme of “ancient songs” is recurring. This is definitely something I’ll watch with intrigue in coming issues.
Justice League #4 raises more questions than answers. Characters once thought to be the source of evil are becoming less likely. Connections seem – on one hand – to be growing as the arch takes shape, but simultaneously feel divergent. It’s obvious thus far less featured members of the League have roles still to play. However, they currently remain ambiguous. It will be interesting to see how currently secondary characters come bear on the story – Aquaman and the crystals; Wonder Woman in the Kindred; Flash and his lost speed… And that ending…? I never saw it coming.
In Justice League #4, I found myself yearning for resolution; a glimpse of daylight in this currently dark, chaotic story. These past few issues have been a roller coaster ride – a good one at that! However, I am anxious to see some sort of “win” for the heroes. Still, there is much more Justice League ahead – and I cannot wait to see how this story unfolds.
Check out these incredible images, courtesy of DC Entertainment:
