Ricky Church reviews Justice League #43…
“The Darkseid War” event rages on as Batman takes a dark journey into the depths of Godhood and unlocks the forbidden knowledge of the DC universe! Meanwhile, arch-enemies Superman and Lex Luthor must stand together in order to survive, and Wonder Woman leads the Justice League in an offensive against the Anti-Monitor and Darkseid! But what is Grail’s true mission during this war-—and what is the secret she holds over Wonder Woman?
The choice between the lesser of two evils has been one Geoff Johns loves to play off of in many of his stories. Since the beginning of Forever Evil and Lex Luthor’s inclusion in the Justice League, that has been a strong theme throughout DC’s flagship title. This theme jumps into high gear in Justice League #43 as the forces of Darkseid and the Anti-Monitor clash on Earth with most of the League caught in the middle.
The issue moves at a very fast pace as the League attempts to formulate a plan to stop the Anti-Monitor and Grail, Darkseid’s daughter. This doesn’t make the issue feel rushed at all, but creates a sense of urgency to the coming conflict. Each character doesn’t get shafted in favour of another either. All the League members have a chance to do something relevant to the story. This is an improvement from issue 42 where Superman and Lex were sidelined for the majority of that issue. Now, they’ve been given a lot of focus as the pair travel across Apokolips and are forced to work together, continuing the interesting new dynamic between these two long-standing enemies.
The character who continues to benefit the most out of ‘The Darkseid War’ is, however, Wonder Woman. Since the launch of The New 52, Wonder Woman hasn’t received the best treatment outside her own series when Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chang were on it. Between her controversial romance with Superman and being sidelined, for the most part, in favour of some of the more popular League members, she hasn’t been in a positive spotlight a whole lot. Johns has turned that around these past few months and gives Wonder Woman great narration throughout this issue. She comes across as a clear and competent warrior who will stop at nothing until she achieves the downfall of evil without the constant self-doubt over her abilities to do so.
Perhaps the characters who got the least amount of development were actually the villains. After appearing so prominently in the previous issues, Darkseid, the Anti-Monitor and Grail all took a step back from the action. Grail’s reasons for allying with the Anti-Monitor are still unknown, as is Darkseid’s need to defeat his enemy and reclaim his daughter. Some of the Anti-Monitor’s motivations are known, but that’s largely due to the prologue in issue 40. With the battle begun at 43’s conclusion, expect a lot more focus to shift between these two titans.
Jason Fabock’s art is simply outstanding throughout this story. His character expressions are great to look at and he has an excellent sense of how to place action. It’s all larger than life, presented as something you’d see in a blockbuster film rather than a comic book. Brad Anderson’s colours similarly pop out for spectacle or are dark and moody when the scene calls for it. The artwork is just beautiful to look at.
‘The Darkseid War’ is shaping up to be quite the Justice League tale that fans have been waiting for. With this creative team on board, this is a book you simply don’t want to miss.
Rating: 8/10
Ricky Church
https://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng&v=8k_v0cVxqEY
Originally published August 20, 2015. Updated April 13, 2018.
