Justice League #23

As a whole this series has been fantastic, and although it's not been the best that DC has produced, it hasn't been far off, having produced some fabulous storylines so far. The current Trinity War story that finishes this issue has however intrigued me the most recently, and I look forward to seeing how it leads into Forever Evil.

Plot

All the heroes have assembled in Greece, with Pandora's Box turning everyone against each other, with The Outsider makes this play to his advantage.

Review

This was a phenomenal issue, and easily the best issue in the story, ending on a high note. Geoff Johns has done a great job in wrapping this story up, whilst also setting the following storyline up perfectly. The drama, and suspense in this issue was also amazing well handled, as Johns managed to give the perfect tone for this issue, making it exciting, whilst also being entertaining. The dialogue in this issue was also spectacular, as with the amazing action in this issue you could easily forgive less than perfect dialogue, but you don't have to with this, as it's simply amazing, being extremely dynamic. I also loved the revelation of all the mystery, and look forward to seeing what Johns has in store with Forever Evil.

The art from Ivan Reis in this issue was simply astonishing, and truly some of the best work that he has every produced. From the amazing re-telling of previous Justice League events at the start of the issue, to the phenomenal action in the present, Reis managed to excel in all areas. The detail was also outstanding, as with all that was happening in this issue you'd probably expect very small imperfections, but if there are, they're hard to notice. I also loved the amazing emotion that Reis showed on the characters, which was simply fantastic, adding a lot of depth to the issue. Reis' layouts were also once again sensational, being very dynamic, and I especially loved all the double pages that he added.

This issue would start with a quick re-telling of the Justice League's adventures up till now, whilst also telling The Outsider's story. Now I found this a very interesting way of allowing new readers to quickly get up to date with the events that the Justice League have been a part of. I also loved this monologue from the Outsider, giving an insight into his personal journey as well, building up to the revelation of who he truly is. I also loved how this mystery was solved, and I was surprised that I didn't catch on as to who he really was sooner.

This issue would also have a huge fight between all the superheroes over Pandora's Box. I just loved how it started gradually, going from Constantine warning them, to a full scale war. I was also happy to see some re-drawing from The New 52 FCBD Special Edition as although there was some minor changes, it shows that this is truly the same event that was teased all that time ago. I also loved the dialogue during this sequence, and I loved that we got to see some of the characters deepest, and truest feelings, as although it's the box that has turned them bitter, it's obvious that the characters actually have these feelings, which was nice, making it feel more realists.

The revelation of the Outsiders traitor was also revealed in this issue, and although I won't go into any details, or reveal their identity as to avoid spoilers, I will say what I thought of this revelation. To be honest I wasn't that surprised as to who the traitor was, and although this choice worked well with the story so far, it would have been nicer for it to have been a bigger surprise, with more shock value to it. I did however love the reactions from the character to this revelation, and look forward to seeing if there's any follow-up to this in Forever Evil or not.

Final Verdict

This was a truly amazing issue, and a phenomenal way to end the story. It managed to end this story on a shocking, and entertaining note, whilst setting up the next storyline perfectly. It also had plenty of action, as well as tremendous suspense, drama, and excitement. The revelations within were also outstanding, and due to this I can't wait till Forever Evil. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this issue, but would also recommend the entire story as well, as there's only one reason to get it otherwise. That reason would be for anyone who's missed this but is getting Forever Evil, as this is a great set-up for that.

Rating: 5/5