Justice League of America 8
Matt Kindt, Doug Mahnke
Forever Evil Crossover
Spoiler alert! You have been warned!
As the Justice Leagues are in limbo right now, the three teams continue their adventures in the three books (Justice League, Justice League of America, and Justice League Dark), albeit somewhat altered. After all, aren’t the Justice League dead? That’s what the Crime Syndicate would have us all believe. But that’s not what new series writer Matt Kindt (joined by artist Doug Mahnke) would have us believe. After all, would it really be that smart to just kill off all of your main A-list superheroes and start again from their ashes? Well, actually, it would be pretty cool, but not economically intelligent. In fact, it would be suicide for DC. But the buzz and the interest level are still there. We know they’re not all dead, but some of them might be. And some of them might be in pretty bad shape. So it’ll be fun to see how we get from the ending of Trinity War to the pages of Forever Evil.
And this issue does just that. Or, more accurately, paves the way for other writers to do just that. Martian Manhunter takes center stage in this issue, joined by Stargirl (briefly) and Jason Rusch, one of two men who make up Firestorm. As it turns out, some (if not all) of the Justice Leaguers are not actually dead, but rather, in a form of mental prison, each specified to keep that particular hero (or anti-hero) occupied, presumably forever. Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern Simon Baz, and Shazam! are just a few who are shown to be living in (our out) various fantasies. Some obvious and some subtle, but all versions of each character’s own Hell. Then we get the cliffhanger, which is all but necessary in this medium (especially during a blockbuster event like this one) leaving us with more questions than answers. All in all, a good transition issue with some great dialogue and excellent J’onn J’onnz moments. I am curious to see more. Especially if that involves talking more about Earth 3.
But it’s not all neat and shiny. The artwork, for lack of a better term, appears rushed. Much like his issues during Trinity War, Mahnke does not look to be giving his all. Some of the facial expressions are downright distracting and the action seems very disjointed throughout the entire book. It is by no means bad artwork, but it is certainly not his best. I expect better, for three reasons: First, he is a great artist. Second, this is a high profile book. And third (and possibly most importantly), this is a crossover. This is where you win over new fans. Not scare old ones away. So I’m excited to see where Kindt goes with this (along with his other DC books) and I’ll be coming back for more, but hopefully the artwork and the pacing pick up in the next issue. I think they will.
My Rating: 4/5
