JUSTICE LEAGUE #44
“Darkseid War, pt. 4: The Death of Darkseid” (22 pages)
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Jason Fabok
Colorist: Brad Anderson
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Covers by: Jason Fabok & Brad Anderson; Ivan Reis, Joe Prado & Rod Reis
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Nothing is more disturbing nor more enticing than the Joker grinning at you square in the face. Except it’s not the Clown Prince of Crime!! It’s the laughing god Gelos – invisible and impish to the Amazons but an irritant all the same.
Fade out to the grotesquerie and fade into the new occupant of the Möbius Chair: Batman!! Bat-God!! Bat-Tron!! Take your pick. He and Hal Jordan begin their search for answers. Rather, Hal tags along. First stop: Earth-3, former residence of the Crime Syndicate and last stop for the Anti-Monitor. The genocide is tragic but Batman cannot determine Anti’s motive. The point of origin is Qward, the anti-matter dimension. In between, Batman cuts GL down to size. Jordan was never heroic. The ring itself is the top dog.
The Leaguers aren’t much good against two colossal beings.
Grail puts her mongrel brother in his place by laser-blasting his eyes!! She truly is the Daughter of Darkseid!!!
Superman is black and white all over. That dip in the fire pit did more than recharge him. He’s Apokoliptan through and through!! Lex is gonna wish he had never caused continuous grief for the Man of Steel. Power at its rawest form could be harnessed but Supes is no holds barred.
Power Ring finally steps up to the plate. The entity within pleads for her to reconsider but she won’t have it.
Darkseid needs to tip the scales in his favour. He summons the Black Racer, avatar of death!!! He slashes through Anti-M. Jessica takes a tumble.
GL sweeps away the Weaponers. Pesky fleas. Batman descends to an underground chamber. Möbius, the Anti-Monitor’s true name, gained forbidden knowledge of the universe. Free will, found in white light, is the primal source of the universe. Qward would house something opposite but the Chair doesn’t share in the details. This is a one-up Anti has over Darkseid.
Darkseid selects the Flash to serve as a host body for the Racer. The merging is unbearable. He must heed the deathcry. Someone is near the expiration date and the newly-minted speedster has to scoop that individual and move on.
Anti-Monitor reveals his hand. His body houses the Anti-Life Equation – the impetus of Darkseid’s lifelong quest!!! The direct attack affects every particle of reality. Shazam senses and hears the gods’ anguish. One of the divinities is about to fall. The title already spoiled it. Darkseid kicks the bucket :0
I’m repeating myself but I don’t know how else to rephrase this: Geoff Johns has outdone himself once again! His storytelling has never been more entertaining, more engaging, nor more gripping!! Each chapter is far superior to the previous and drops bomb after bomb. There’s a level of unpredictability that has me cheering and hollering. I don’t want to figure out what comes next. He pulls the threads tighter by touching upon the GREEN LANTERN mythos and expanding on the last-page tease of FOREVER EVIL #7. The inclusion and increased profiling of the New Gods makes me reconsider their cool factor. That’s Mr. Johns’ true talent.
Jay Fabok may be a little busier with fatherhood but he is a powerhouse, stepping up to the plate! Keep those splash pages coming!! Don’t stop even if it kills you >_^ The paneling is clear and defined but varies with equal distribution, vertical layout and borderless background. We’re treated to two double-spreads as well as two full pages :-D The outstanding feature in this issue is the smallest one: GL hitching a ride on the Chair within the “boom”.
Brad Anderson was tailor-made to embellish Mr. Fabok’s pencils. The Dark Knight’s uniform is a tad lighter. I especially love the fluorescent bat symbol and the lines around the cowl. The three-dimensional ring effect is indicative of its might. The photo-negative Superman should retain this new look.
Rob Leigh does more than the standard delivery. The “pings” enlighten Batman. Literally! The “BOOM”s get bigger in scope. Anti-Monitor’s speech bubbles are distorted just like the cosmic entity himself.
Objectively speaking, it’s extremely difficult not to give this issue another high rating. It is truly deserving of such. In Darkseid’s 44-year existence, I give this story 41 [91.1%]
