Justice League #5
Written by: Bryan Hitch
Art by: Tony S. Daniel
Colored by: Tomeu Morey
Ink by: Sandu Florea
In the finale issue of The Extinction Machine arc, some questions are answered but even more loom over the Justice League. Justice League #5 saw the team finally come together to challenge the menace that has used Earth’s latest catastrophe as an opportunity to enact their millennia old plan, but it may take more than the combined might of the League to stop beings who used the members’ own strength against them. Although this arc has been up and down, perhaps due to switching to a twice per month publication schedule, there is no denying that it ends on high note. In an issue that answered long standing questions, had enough action to satisfy any fan, and left just enough of a mystery to lead the way for many more exciting and original stories to come, Bryan Hitch delivers perhaps the best issue to end this arc that readers could hope for.
The issue opens with the near criminally underused Aquaman and his darn magic crystals. Although his explanation that he just knows what the crystals want may be a little lacking in satisfaction, at least it gives him a reason to leave the ocean floor and rejoin his team on the surface as they may a collective last stand against the Kindred who get nearer and nearer to completing their goal and bringing about the ominously named “Forever Crisis”. Realizing that their efforts in stopping the Purge has only gone to help the Kindred finish their song, the League decides to focus their energies on rescuing the people trapped within, but it may already be too late. As the more and more of their powers are absorbed by these four titans, the we are forced to wonder if they may be just too evenly matched to stop whatever the Kindred’s song brings about, as well as save the world.
Bryan Hitch’s first story arc on the post-rebirth Justice League title brought the type of original storytelling that we hoped would come from this re-launch initiative. Although the story telling was shaky at times and the dialogue could feel a bit stunted, overall this was an enjoyable arc that paved the way for stories to come that I am sure will shake and reform the DC universe. It is not an easy task to take over one of the most famous series currently running, but to also have to include a Superman that is essentially a stranger to the rest of the team only increased the chances that this series could flounder. It is a credit to Hitch’s story and Tony S. Daniels’ art that Justice League remained one of DC’s top sellers when comic books publishers are currently releasing so many other top-level series. Despite the opening arc having a shaky middle, Justice League #5 manages to stick the landing and leave the reader with a sense of excitement and intrigue for stories yet to come.
Art by: Tony S. Daniel
Colored by: Tomeu Morey
Ink by: Sandu Florea
In the finale issue of The Extinction Machine arc, some questions are answered but even more loom over the Justice League. Justice League #5 saw the team finally come together to challenge the menace that has used Earth’s latest catastrophe as an opportunity to enact their millennia old plan, but it may take more than the combined might of the League to stop beings who used the members’ own strength against them. Although this arc has been up and down, perhaps due to switching to a twice per month publication schedule, there is no denying that it ends on high note. In an issue that answered long standing questions, had enough action to satisfy any fan, and left just enough of a mystery to lead the way for many more exciting and original stories to come, Bryan Hitch delivers perhaps the best issue to end this arc that readers could hope for.
The issue opens with the near criminally underused Aquaman and his darn magic crystals. Although his explanation that he just knows what the crystals want may be a little lacking in satisfaction, at least it gives him a reason to leave the ocean floor and rejoin his team on the surface as they may a collective last stand against the Kindred who get nearer and nearer to completing their goal and bringing about the ominously named “Forever Crisis”. Realizing that their efforts in stopping the Purge has only gone to help the Kindred finish their song, the League decides to focus their energies on rescuing the people trapped within, but it may already be too late. As the more and more of their powers are absorbed by these four titans, the we are forced to wonder if they may be just too evenly matched to stop whatever the Kindred’s song brings about, as well as save the world.
Bryan Hitch’s first story arc on the post-rebirth Justice League title brought the type of original storytelling that we hoped would come from this re-launch initiative. Although the story telling was shaky at times and the dialogue could feel a bit stunted, overall this was an enjoyable arc that paved the way for stories to come that I am sure will shake and reform the DC universe. It is not an easy task to take over one of the most famous series currently running, but to also have to include a Superman that is essentially a stranger to the rest of the team only increased the chances that this series could flounder. It is a credit to Hitch’s story and Tony S. Daniels’ art that Justice League remained one of DC’s top sellers when comic books publishers are currently releasing so many other top-level series. Despite the opening arc having a shaky middle, Justice League #5 manages to stick the landing and leave the reader with a sense of excitement and intrigue for stories yet to come.
A Look Inside
