Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Jason Fabok
This week brings us the release of the first part of the third act in the “Darkseid War” story arc for the current Justice League series. The last issue of the series was viewed as a small misstep for myself and I’m happy to report that that trend doesn’t continue with this issue. What a return to form!
Many people weren’t huge fans of the ending of the Trinity War story arc in 2013. I’m in the minority in loving that story, for sure, but what I loved the most about it was how Johns introduced the Crime Syndicate to the New 52, and made them just as strong and powerful as the League. The Syndicate posed a threat unlike we had seen in the New 52. It’s my belief that Johns wrote these characters perfectly, and while the story didn’t end nice and tidy, it’s only because he’s sowing the seeds for this story to be an all-out, for lack of a better term, war.
I’ll do my best not to spoil anything in this issue, but, man-oh-man, this issue was top notch. It’s up there with some of Johns’ best work in the series. There a couple of reveals and returns that I really loved, but what really made me happy with the issue was the way he treated Wonder Woman. In fact, the whole story arc has been very Wonder Woman-centered, and I truly enjoyed that. Often people forget that Diana is just as strong as Supes, and is a better warrior than anyone else on the League. What Johns really showcased in this issue, was her compassion for Superman. The two characters, finally, have an interaction in this issue, and while it would have been incredibly easy for Johns to just write an action set-piece that a Justice League series should be, but he took a different route and I feel was better for it in the end.
This issue has been one of my favorites of the series so far, and the return of Jason Fabok only made it that much better. I love Francis Manapul, truly I do. I don’t have kids, but if I did, I would gladly allow him to take my kids from me. That being said, it is so fantastic to see the return of Fabok in this issue. His art is like a grilled cheese sandwich for me, and I could eat this comfort food until the cows come home. The same could be said about this series as a whole. It’s warm blanket-like goodness is something I only wish to wrap myself in every month.
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