Justice League #6

Originally posted on my blog, The Comics Cove, not too long ago...

This is a breathtaking cover, in that way that makes your stomach lurch. The JL, bowing before Darkseid? Fortunately, it's another of those "not in the issue" covers. It's very well rendered, and indicative of how formidable an opponent Darkseid is.

The Justice League finally take the fight to Darkseid, working together and hitting him as hard as they can with everything they've got, while Batman tries to find and rescue Superman. Cyborg manages to use the mother boxes to transport the team and Darkseid to Superman's location, and Batman talks him into getting his bearings so he can assist in sending Darkseid back from where he came. Cyborg is finally able to shut the tubes created by the mother boxes down, ending the threat and destroying all of Darkseid's props as he is expelled from Earth. They are hailed as heroes, and commit to publicly forming an alliance.

I really did enjoy the narrative bookends employed for this story, where a writer frames the conflict in catastrophic, end of the world terms. He's in the middle of the fray, his family about to die with him, but for the emergence of these metahumans on the scene, heroically risking all to ensure that there will be a tomorrow for Earth and its people. It's a little cheesy, but the impact is really felt at the end of the story where he calls them the greatest superheroes in the world.

I'm also impressed with how little Darkseid actually says about his intentions. It frustrates the heroes, leaving them to wonder what motivates this titanic force of evil to lay waste to the earth. This adds considerable weight to his presence as an intergalactic hardcase.

It's always fun to watch the personalities at play between the heroes, and in this issue it's especially obvious. Green Lantern's petulance, Flash's diplomacy, and Batman's forward-thinking all make for amusing moments. That Wonder Woman and Aquaman are hands-on warriors also makes for an interesting bond between them as they engage Darkseid in melee combat in succession. I think this issue does a good job of playing up their individual presences, as well as their collective awesomeness.

Artistically, Jim Lee continues to illustrate die-hard action and epic heroes with aplomb. One excellent example of this is the Justice League's fight against Darkseid, as they take turns engaging him and work together to do so. Everything looks crisp, dynamic and high-stakes. The two-page splash of Superman flying into Darkseid to knock him into the mother box tubes was a delight to behold. Finally, the pose near the end of the story of the team is satisfying, as is the cover of them on the final page, where the writer's book comes to print.

Overall, a satisfying end to a fun origin story. I'll be curious to see if they come back to the present day--remember, this story takes place 5 years before the "present day"--or if they build directly from this endpoint. This story is a must-have for Justice League fans, readers of the New 52, or anyone who enjoys Geoff Johns's storytelling and/or Jim Lee's epic artwork. Highly recommended.