[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Writer: Bryan Hitch
Artists: Tony S. Daniel, Sandu Florea and Tomeu Morey
Summary
Cyborg discovers that worldwide earthquakes are being caused by devices in the outer core of the planet going through cycles as an alien invasion starts.
Positives
The cover is by Tony S. Daniel, Mark Morales and Tomeu Morey. It’s well drawn and looks cool. I particularly like the Flash being in three different places at once. I imagine this is a multi part cover since only Batman, Flash and Jessica Cruz are featured. It does allow the cover to not feel too crowded.
The pencils of the issue are by Daniel with Sandu Florea on inks and Morey on colors. The art is very cool throughout. I really like the way the cities look in the background. There’s a great sense of space in the backgrounds and I like that. The action is drawn well too. The art team is really able to convey the destruction and danger in a compelling way.
Bryan Hitch is taking what would usually be fairly generic and somehow making it fun and fresh. We have all seen alien invasion stories. It’s been done a million times and can be quite dull nowadays but there’s an intensity to this story so far. I really feel the dread and terror of the situation. I think blending two different kind of stories may be helping with that. Combining a natural disaster with an alien invasion works really well. The aliens themselves are well designed and there appears to be an endless number of them. I would again credit that to the art team for doing a stellar job.
Negatives
This is a seriously minor nitpick but there’s a scene in which the Green Lanterns are trying to save Hong Kong. Jessica narrates that she can’t form a construct, which is true, but then she immediately forms a construct. She says she just changes the shape of the beam but it looks like a construct to me. Maybe I just don’t understand how the Green Lantern ring works. Like I said, it’s a nitpick.
Verdict
This is a really fun issue. Hitch really knows how bring up the stakes. It’s fun to see the Justice League go up against a problem that actually feels like a challenge for them. That is weirdly rare for them these days. The art is also excellent which also adds to the tension and engagement. I highly recommend checking this issue out.
