Justice League Dark #23

The Team
Writer Jeff Lemire Artist Mikel Janin

With only left one chapter left of Trinity War there is a lot of plot and questions still left unanswered. That does not seem to be bad thing, or detract from the series in terms of quality. Thanks to spoilers leaked out on the internet, many now exactly where this saga is going at this point. As long as the ending is solid, this will have been a consistently entertaining event comic. Writers Geoff Johns and Jeff Lemire had just enough plot to carry the title for six issues, some installments were completely character based, like Justice League Dark #23. Character based stories are not bad as long as they are well written, the two writers made sure of this throughout the crossover. One of the best parts of this major storyline is the fact that some of the crazier heroes can be in the title. The Justice League Dark is a really interesting group of protagonists, seeing them alongside Superman and Wonder Woman makes them even more special. Especially when considering how complicated these other heroes are in the context of all three Justice League teams.

Story might be one of the weaker points of this issue. There are many scenes packed with a ton of action alongside great character moments. The real plot does not come into play until the last page of the story. Watching the journey still proves to be entertaining with the daft writing of Lemire. Constantine once again has many amusing scenes in the course of this issue. There are also some amusing moments with Amanda Waller and a darker side of Superman is shown. The last page of this installment should make many fans pine for the conclusion of the series to be out immediately. Fortunately the other great part about Trinity War is that we are only a week away from the conclusion to the tale. The fast and furious shipping schedule has really paid off, to make this story that is thinner on plot still interesting. As a result this comic book will also read fantastic for fans that have waited for the trade.

Mikel Janin is the only real stumbling point in this issue. The way that he draws the characters in an odd three dimensional rendering makes people look like plastic. It limits the title to only look one specific way, it also holds the artist back from greatness. When looking at these pages, it seems obvious to me that Janin is capable of something better if he would try a different process of drawing. It is also unclear to me if any real pencils are involved in the process. At first glance his art does not quite bother me either, upon a second look the problems rise to the surface. The other artists involved in this crossover Ivan Reis and Doug Mahnke also make the art in this title look poor. It is a jarring transition to get used to one style with a right turn like this one.

Even though the art falls short in some spots, and the plot is thin in these 22 pages. The great hero and villain moments in this issue feels as though it is more than the sum of it’s parts. Those seeking the next chapter of this excellent event will not dissapointed, anything goes next issue when Justice League #23 concludes the narrative.