The Good
There is so much going on and you can't help but enjoy watching it all unfold. Seeing the Justice League and the Justice League of America clash is something we've been waiting for since the JLA series started. Amidst the chaos and confusion, Geoff Johns and Jeff Lemire manage to give us little glimpses into some of the characters which adds a more human feel. For everyone involved, this fight is a crazy idea. Hearing the questions of doubts over what is going on separates it from the artificial feel we usually see when we get big giant comic book clashes.
Thankfully this isn't simply an issue with a giant fight from beginning to end. Johns and Lemire do have a story they need to tell and that allows us to see some of the aftermath and actual repercussions among the characters. This fight is changing a lot for many of them and it's great to see how they take it all. Amanda Waller really steps up with the way she's thinking and there really is no telling what decision she may make next. Even though it might be easy to think of the actual members of the team as the game-changers but with Waller calling the shots, who can tell what might happen next.
Throughout there is one character we haven't seen too much of in the New 52. Hearing things from this character's perspective and seeing what transpires is making things interesting. Also another character seeks out the Justice League Dark which will bring them into the mix, just in time for the story to continue in that series. The way it's handled makes sense.
Doug Mahnke's art explodes over each page. It's great seeing how he interprets each characters with his style but for me the greatest joy was seeing his depiction of Wonder Woman. Mahnke always puts great details in the eyes of the characters he draws. You get a great sense of the emotions being conveyed and that really is the case with Diana. She is ticked off and on a mission. She looks so elegant and extremely deadly at the same time.
The Bad
While it's understandable for the sake of the story, it still feels as if events escalated too quickly last issue (in JUSTICE LEAGUE #22) and they suddenly end here. We saw in the first part that it was believed the Justice League of America would be ready to take on the League but that clearly isn't the case as there's so much doubt and questioning over what to do. This makes the story feel slightly rushed because the team barely had a chance to take in the fact that they were designed to take out the Justice League.
It might be a minor thing but it really bothered when Wonder Woman referred to Batman as "Bruce." You would imagine the place they were at would be heavily observed. It might be a personal touch, showing the relationship between the two but it just felt inappropriate for the situation.
Being this is a JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA issue, it almost didn't feel like it. The characters do make appearance and have roles but because this is part of the bigger story, it felt more like a JUSTICE LEAGUE title with the focus on Wonder Woman, Superman and Batman.
The Verdict
The action slows down a bit but that doesn't mean the story is. A lot is happening and we get to see several developments in the overall story. It almost feels like this entire story/event was sped up to get here at this time. That's not necessarily a bad thing as we get to cut to the chase. The fun is seeing how all these characters interact with each other as well as the tease of what will come up in the next installment. Doug Mahnke's art is always a joy to see and having him deal with the action and emotional scenes was great. If summer is the time for the big blockbuster popcorn movie, this story is happening at the perfect time.