[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Writer: Bryan Hitch
Artists: Tony S. Daniel, Sandu Florea & Tomeu Morey
Summary
The Justice League converges in a plan to defeat the Kindred.
Positives
The cover by Tony S. Daniel and Tomeu Morey is pretty cool. I especially like that the all of the heroes are entangled in the Kindred except for Aquaman who, in the issue, is the most important factor in defeating them. Beyond that, it’s just an eye-catching image that is very well drawn.
The art, as usual, is very good. The pencils are by Daniel with Sandu Florea on inks and Morey on colors. The book is enthralling to look at. It’s a wonderful spectacle thanks to how good this art is.
There’s a lot of good dialogue from Bryan Hitch. Aquaman’s narration boxes are hilarious. And Batman has a good line about how the Justice League always manages these last minute saves that almost seem miraculous. There’s a self-aware nature to Hitch’s writing that is fairly entertaining.
I like the idea that the invasion was meant to stop the Kindred but the Justice League stopped the invasion and allowed the Kindred to get as far as they do. That’s an interesting concept.
Negatives
I found this issue very boring. The issue is mostly action which I understand. It’s Justice League; we want to see them throw down. But the story does nothing for me. The Kindred are dull villains. They’re just big and powerful. If there was an interesting conflict, I could maybe get more into it but there’s not a lot here. If you just want the Justice League kicking ass, this is the book for you. But I want a little something more.
There is an underlying thread of the League learning to trust the pre-Flashpoint Superman. But he spends most of the story on his own as do the other members of the League. Everyone is off on their own little side quest. Their mission is the same but everyone feels disjointed. I don’t think Aquaman ever talks to another member of the League in this story. Sometimes splitting the team up is a good idea but since this is a new team with new Green Lanterns and, to the others, a new Superman, I would have liked to have seen the League interact more.
Verdict
Ultimately, I don’t enjoy this issue. There is some wonderful art, decent action and a little bit of fun dialogue but that’s about it. It’s a fairly dull conclusion to a potentially interesting story that I don’t think reached its potential. I don’t recommend reading this issue.
