The final battle looms large.
Justice League’s “The Darksed War” has been a great read so far, but this storyline has definitely lost some momentum in recent months between the delays, the shift to a series of tie-in issues, and the generally sluggish pace of Act 2. Issue #47 brings artist Jason Fabok back into the fold and kicks off the story’s third and final act. That helps pick up the slack a bit, but the series still struggles to regain its momentum and recapture the magic of the early months of The Darkseid War.
Wonder Woman remains front and center in this issue as she leads her new allies on a mission to break the Crime Syndicate out of prison and enlist their aid against the Anti-Monitor. Unfortunately, that about sums up the events of this issue. Early on, the worst problem this storyline dealt with was the fact that Geoff Johns had an excess of story material to juggle. Now, the conflict is feeling a bit thin as Johns continues to move pieces across the board. It’s certainly intriguing to see the Justice League and Crime Syndicate forced into an alliance, but this issue doesn’t have a chance to capitalize on the resulting character dynamics.
It’s also disappointing how the various godly transformations of earlier chapters are being capitalized upon. Johns focuses a significant amount of attention on Superman’s role as the god of power. All that really amounts to is your standard battle with a brainwashed hero, with the predictable resolution. Johns handles the Superman/Wonder Woman dynamic well. In general Diana has been the stand-out character of this storyline. But their clash doesn’t seem to add much to the larger conflict. That space might have been better devoted to characters who do seem fundamentally altered, like Batman or Lex Luthor. Or maybe to fleshing out villains like Grail or the Anti-Monitor. The latter in particular could really benefit from more back-story and a greater sense of context to his actions.
But if nothing else, its great to have Fabok back on the series. His style packs in all the raw power and precise line-work you’d expect from such a massive superhero epic. Under his hand, this truly does feel like a story about gods and heroes becoming gods. However, Fabok’s knack for generating a dark, foreboding sense of mood is every bit as important. Tonally, this storyline is as bleak as anything Johns has crafted on the book (even Forever Evil). Fabok’s style is crucial in blending the darkness with the larger-than-life characters and battles.
The final leg of The Darkseid War has begun, but Justice League is still struggling to regain the momentum it had in the early chapters. This issue reads mostly like setup for bigger and better things to come, and the solid characterization can only do so much to make up for the sluggish pace. But at least the series continues to look great, with Jason Fabok delivering more of the refined, powerful work he’s become known for.
