Justice League #24

Writer - Geoff Johns

Art - Ivan Reis, Joe Prado

Get Caught Up...

This is Forever Evil.  The Crime Syndicate has taken over the Earth and locked away the Justice League in prisons of their own thoughts.  Things are about to get even darker.

What's Good?

The star of this book is unquestionably Ultraman.  His origins are front and center, and sure the roots of his hatred for weakness.  Here Johns fleshes the character out from a mere villain to an evil entity.  This is a major step up in Forever Evil that I was missing in the core title.  

Almost more important than the twisted take on the classic Superman story is the seeds of discord that are being sewn into the fabric of the Crime Syndicate.  I've long been of the belief that just because a set of characters have evil in common, it didn't mean that they will work well together.  With this in mind we're given more glimpses into how the dynamics work within the group of Earth-3 survivors.

We also get to chalk up another win to the mysterious entity that destroyed Earth-3.  It was apparently involved somehow in the destruction of that universe's Krypton.  There is a moment between Ultraman's bickering parents that I'm not sure served to stand as a clue or further evidence of just how divergent this reality was.  This book was packed with exposition.  The new  didn't bog down the narrative, which is a big risk.  This is really Johns' wheelhouse.  I've always been a fan of his events.  I don't even mind the cliffhanger that leads directly into Forever Evil #3.  It's that good.

Reis and the art team here are fantastic.  We're given expressive characters and a just moody enough atmosphere.  The level of detail here is quite impressive.  I really wish Reis had gotten the reins of the core Forever Evil title, as it is missing some of the key elements Reis brings to the table.  What this team does with Ultraman is worth the price of admission.  He feels just as warped and evil as his actions show him to be.  The scene at the Daily Bugle would have been just as effective without the dialogue thanks to the art, especially the coloring.

What's Not So Good?

Whenever the focus shifts from Ultraman the story send to falter.  There are small side bits regarding Grid and Owlman that seem forced into the narrative and break the flow of Ultraman's story.  They're important bits, but I feel they could have been put to use better outside of these pages.

The Verdict...


DC is making up for an underwhelming Villains Month now.  After last week's somewhat disappointing JLA #8 I was worried about the direction of the tie-ins to Forever Evil.  Thankfully, I had nothing to worry about.