Justice League of America #13

Writer: Steve Orlando

Artist: Ivan Reis

Inkers: Ivan Reis and Julio Ferreira

Colourist: Marcelo Maiolo

Letterer: Clayton Cowles

This issue surprised me. It wasn't a masterpiece, but it is definitely the best issue of the series. It told a solid story from beginning to end, introduced a character with a nice twist to her, and got me excited with the ending.

I thought Ivan Reis' art in the last issue was alright, but here he's out in full force, reminded us of his talent. We get to see a lot more of the Microverse, with all its strange people and environments. The art was the star of the show here. The detail in some of the panels in the final few pages nearly blew my mind. Also, an art team doesn't just consist of the penciller, but of the inker and colourist as well. Julio Ferreira assisted on inks and Marcelo Maiolo, one of my favourite colourists, did a damn fine job as well. A Lobo-centric panel late in the issue is simply stunning.

As for the story, I reiterate that I was pleased. Steve Orlando has spent a lot of time in this series trying to show us the downtrodden, and how we should try and help them. It's a testament I agree with, but his stories never lived up to their promises. Here we see the downtrodden folk of the Microverse, and their stories are genuinely disheartening and I care to some degree about these people and their struggle. There's some sort of weird character that was teased in this issue who we might meet in the next one. I will say that for a moment, I forgot we were still looking for Ray Palmer, which may or may not be a good thing. I'll lean towards the good because this is a story I've been looking forward to since May of last year, and I was swept up in the world Orlando presented.

In what is definitively the best issue of the series, Orlando presents a world that is much more engaging than the previous locations and characters we've spent time with. The story is intriguing and the art is absolutely stellar.