The Perfect Beyond
This issue has a truly epic cover, showcasing the full force the world has against Kobra's snake god. Dustin Nguyen is seriously an amazing artist, and I especially love the way he's drawn Batman here. Everything has a nice sheen to it that really makes the look unique.
JUSTICE LEAGUE BEYOND #9
Konstriction has finally come to it's truly monumental finale. All the means in the universe are here to fight back one of the biggest monsters the world has ever seen. This is the kind of scale Justice League stories are meant to be on, from the death of Jimmy Olson, to the return of Mister Miracle, and of course the tide-turning power of Etrigan. Etrigan fans will certainly love to see what's become of The Demon in the Beyond-Verse, and of course ecstatic that he returns to rhyme, and flows it so damn smoothly.
There's a LOT of great cameos this issue, it really helps the tone of this series as one of expanding the corners of the Beyond-Verse as it relates to the DCAU. There's powerful deaths and shocking reunions, and the promise of a bigger scale to come as this incident prompts a membership drive. And Dustin Nguyen's artwork is just... amazing.
In Conclusion: 5/5
Amazing. Simply and truly amazing. Derek Fridolfs and Dustin Nguyen are doing a tremendous job at building unexplored corners of the Beyond-Verse on the roots of what was there and the DCAU. And this is the best Justice League I've read in a while as a whole, things are on a scale so far above and beyond, the kind of thing you truly need the Justice League for.
BATMAN BEYOND #10
The Beyond Bat-Team is coming together for the biggest Joker bash since the original died. I was a little nervous about The Joker King's speech last issue about how the original Joker didn't even understand, but this issue I think he straightened it out a bit more. He THINKS he gets it more, but really he's just a different interpretation, kind of like The Comedian fused with Ozymandias. His calm demeanor is kind of terrifying when balanced with his nihilistic viewpoint.
The art is better this issue, but I think most of it is the fact that it just kind of fits more in this particular set of scenes. The Joker King actually looks kind of amazing with Breyfogle's unique shadows, and sickly Bruce Wayne looks pretty epic, in that weird kind of 'old man who sticks to his convictions even as he's dying. And he's part of a final scene that sets up a damn amazing cliffhanger, especially considering next issue is a full 20 pages of Batman Beyond.
In Conclusion: 5/5
For 10 pages, this issue got a lot done. Norm Breyfogle's unfitting artwork wasn't as off as usual, but I don't think that's the artwork as much as the story matching it. I still really want an artist change, but 10,000 Clowns is pretty damn awesome.
SUPERMAN BEYOND #8
Ok, how come they keep not showing the issue titles just for Superman Beyond? The first few they didn't and it's inconsistent whether they do or not. But why EVER would you NOT show it? It just frustrates me and makes no sense. The issue titles do exist because I can look up what it is by looking into the Digital Comics list on the site. But why should I NEED to do that to see the issue title?
Howard Porter's artwork is on fire in this issue. It may be that there's no fight scenes, but still. The inking wasn't as heavy, it had a nice delicate touch that allowed the vibrant colors to really shine. And for some reason I'm super compelled by the design of the new villains.
We get a nice look at a day in the life of Superman's new status quo as Kal Kent, fireman. He's down in the trenches in both his lives, saving people in every way he can. I wonder how long his gimmick can last, but otherwise we get to see him deep in a new outside perspective on Superman, and real direction in his life. And meanwhile, a new threat is rearing its head, one that really intrigues me.
In Conclusion: 5/5
What else can I say? It was a nice 10 page start to the new status quo of Superman Beyond, and Howard Porter's artwork was the best it's looked yet.
FINAL VERDICT: 5/5
For the first time I can honestly say that every single story in the issue was as awesome as I had hoped. I've given Justice League Beyond plenty of 5/5's, but I've never been able to give the full Unlimited series a 5/5 until now. Justice League Beyond hit it's ultimate climax to the first major arc, Batman Beyond builds to an intense climax within it's first major arc, and Superman Beyond is shining bright with a new horizon. Everything just freaking worked for once.