Review: JUSTICE LEAGUE #43
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Robert Venditti
Artists: Doug Mahnke, Richard Friend
Colours: David Baron
Letters: Tom Napolitano
Reviewed By: Derek McNeil
Summary
Justice League #43: All secrets revealed! Caught in the Justice League’s trap, the Eradicator reveals the truth hidden in his circuits. And as Superman confronts his past defeat, it’s up to Wonder Woman to make a decision that will divide the team. The no-holds-barred war between the League and a murder machine with Superman’s face concludes!
Positives
Justice League #43 wraps up “Invasion of the Supermen” as the League battles the Eradicator and his Advance Legion of Daxam. This is the conclusion of Robert Venditti’s first arc, which has proven to be a great start to his run. Unfortunately, that run will prove to be quite short, as Venditti has announced that he will be leaving the title for another project. This is a shame, as this initial has shown that he is well suited to writing the adventures of DC’s premiere super team.
I liked the clever method John Stewart came thought up to overcome the Daxamites. The Flash tricked the Daxamites to follow him through a portal provided by Madame Xanadu. That portal takes them to a distant planet which is 20 light years away from a yellow sun. Denied the yellow sun radiation that gives them super powers, the Daxamites are incapacitated. A rather neat way of making an insurmountable army vulnerable.
Unfortunately for them, this weakness leads the Eradicator to determine that “the Advance Legion is inadequate for Krypton’s Legacy. Stronger bio-resources are required”. And he then proceeds kill them by triggering a self-destruct function that he had bred into them.
Positives Cont.
Like the Daxamites, Superman is powerless as well. It is interesting to see how Clark deals with the loss of his powers. It’s almost humorous seeing him punch a Daxamite at full strength, then exclaim, “Ow!” as he rubs his hand.
Also, he seems a bit weirded out by the sight of his own blood. But he offers his blood and essence to the Eradicator to save Earth. This serves to distract the Eradicator long enough for Wonder Woman to come up behind him and deliver a killing blow. I was left wondering if Superman was genuinely willing to sacrifice himself to the Kryptonian device or if it was a pretense to distract him.
There is also the cryptic prophecy that Madame Xanadu gives to Batman. She warns, “A great obstacle awaits the Justice League. Rebirth. Unflinching honesty. Blame. Reckoning” Clearly Venditti is hinting at problems to come in the team’s near future. But with Venditti soon departing the title, will the new creative team follow up on these hints?
I also have to commend Doug Mahnke and Richard Friend on the beautiful artwork in this issue. They do a tremendous job of making the Justice League look their iconic best.
Negatives
I’m not sure what the solicitation text means when it says that Wonder Woman will “make a decision that will divide the team. The only extreme thing Diana does is when she destroys the Eradicator. But the villain is a Kryptonian device, not a living being, so it’s hardly murder. And no one present seems to react negatively. I wonder if this is down to the exaggeration in the solicitation or if a plotline was dropped.
It’s definitely a shame that Venditti will be moving on soon. With such a great start, who knows what great Justice League stories he might have given us. At least we get one more story arc from him before the next creative team takes over.
Verdict
Justice League #43 was another great issue, capping off a superb story. Even though Venditti won’t be sticking around much longer, it is still worth getting into. With top notch writing and art, this issue exemplifies the Justice League at their best.
