Jessie Robertson reviews Justice League #41…
The critically acclaimed team of Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok present the much anticipated, extra-sized first chapter of “DARKSEID WAR”! When the Justice League investigate a series of unexplained murders on Earth, it leads them to the frontlines of a war unlike any the DC Universe has ever seen – a battle between the two most powerful villains in existence: Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor! Meet Darkseid’s daughter – a mysterious force of evil with a bizarre connection to the Justice League! Plus: The horrible secret of Superwoman’s baby! The ultimate temptation of Batman! Lex Luthor vs. Superman – no holds barred! New villains! New allies! And so much more in the DC Event that has been building since JUSTICE LEAGUE #1!
Did anyone else find Convergence scatter-brained, wonton and too much at once? And while we’re at it, waaaay too similar to Marvel’s Secret Wars? I argue the most relevant, most exciting and biggest event happening in DC comics right now is in our hands; this is the first chapter of the Darkseid War. Johns builds brilliantly on his Justice League run up till now, bringing back Darkseid for this epic tale where so many amazing, powerful and interesting characters from the old DC universe make their New 52 debuts.
Standing out amongst that group is Scott Free, Mister Miracle, a child orphaned into Apokolips and thrown into the dungeons, tortured, forgot about and warped. But, his spirit never broke and he trained himself, for years, patiently, how to break in and out of his prison at will, eventually finding a way out of Apokolips itself. Miracle’s origin is very similar to his past DC origin and it’s a great story with Johns language finding a way to punch it up even more.
Darkseid has sent two of his best assassins, Lashina and Kanto, to find a woman named Myrina Black, though we don’t know why. They kill a hapless woman (sharing the same name) and get the attention of the Justice League. As most of the squad is investigating the crime, a woman we only know as Darkseid’s daughter shows up (climbing out of the Flash’s mouth, no less) and starts whooping total a** on the Leaguers.
I won’t go into any more details, as there’s already more plot twists just in this issue than most complete storylines, but it’s not a bad thing. I dig Mobak’s artwork; he just nails the ominous signature of certain characters very well. Darkseid’s first appearance here is chilling, and scary and just so cool. I love Miracle’s costume design; it looks like a puzzle just to put it together but still sticks very closely to the old Miracle’s look. There’s so much to look at you forget there’s the most prolifically successful comic book writer of all time behind the words and just like he always does, Johns builds this at just the right pace and gives you a whole picnic full of characters to draw opinions about. The big finale here is the perfect way to whet our appetites for the next piece of this massive undertaking. So do yourself a favor and avoid all the smashing together of universes in BOTH comic companies, and stick to this book if you want a big time event that will most assuredly deliver!
Rating: 8/10
Jessie Robertson
https://youtu.be/yIuEu1m0p2M?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published June 18, 2015. Updated April 14, 2018.
