Comic Review: Justice League #6

It's a big, balls to the wall, blockbuster joyride that thankfully has good pacing and compelling characters to boot.

Book: Justice League #6Written By: Geoff JohnsPencils By: Jim LeePublisher: DC ComicsPrice: $3.99Pages: 40Release Date: OUT NOW IN STORES & DIGITAL DOWNLOAD (VIA COMIXOLOGY)

rating: 4.0

As we come to the 6th issue of DC€™s flagship series we also reach the climax of our debut arc. #6 opens to find Superman captured with only Batman to save him while the rest of the team take on Darkseid in a pulse pounding battle to defend the planet from enslavement.

The fight itself is what you would expect at this point from the series with some welcome surprises. Writer Geoff Johns was smart to allow Aquaman & Wonder Woman pivotal roles in Darkseid€™s €˜defeat€™, their fighting tactics were a continuation from last issue - in what I originally thought was just a throwaway gag but seeing it in action was very satisfying and very, very bad ass. It€™s nice to see the team banding together and working as one to get the job done, even if they still don€™t see eye to eye. Narrative also shifts in this issue to the perspective of a public member which eventually lead to a big €œI see what you did there€ moment from Johns that stands as an endearing way to close of the first chapter of DC€™s New 52€™s, even if the narration at times feels more like an after thought, due to being introduced this late in the story.

Jim Lee once again is on top form and its no surprise; this action heavy issue contains 9 splash pages, each as jaw dropping and gorgeous as you would expect from Lee. Even with the books four inkers (regular inker Scott Williams along with Sandra Hope, Batt Irwin and Mark Irwin), the style is pretty consistent with very little noticeable difference as you move from page to page.

It€™s also worth noting that this issue contains a seven page back up story, which surprisingly follows the red hooded woman seen throughout the New 52 known as Pandora, by writer Geoff Johns and artist Carlos D€™Anda (Batman Arkham City Prequel). As exciting as this story was it brings far more questions about Pandora€™s involvement in the new DCU to the table than it answers. Johns is obviously setting the chessboard for something big in the universe but it€™s still too early to get a clear look at the bigger picture, the story is only getting started and I€™m hopeful that the journey we€™re about to witness will be a satisfying one. Art by D€™Anda is one of the highlights of the back up story. With his expressive, vibrant style he€™s always a joy to see and I€™m glad he€™s getting this level of exposure.

I€™ve said it before and I€™m sure to become a broken record about this but for what Justice League is and what it needs to be it does the job to a great degree. It's a big, balls to the wall, blockbuster joyride that thankfully has good pacing and compelling characters to boot. I€™m glad to say there€™s no sign of me getting bored with this series so far and I hope this winning streak will continue throughout the coming months.

Contributor
Contributor

Follow him on twitter @Jay_Slough for constant film/tv/comic commentaries. This is the rather strange story of how Jamie Slough, at 3am one morning decided to try and form a cohesive sentence on his laptop by bashing his head on a nearby keyboard while finishing some university work. It's been doing him surprisingly well for the last few years and things don't seem to be changing anytime soon. At most times Jamie can be found reading from a large stack of comic books, catching up on TV shows such as Doctor Who, Breaking Bad & Curb Your Enthusiasm, begging people for work (but less said about that the better) and pretty much trying to be analytical about stuff. When he's not doing any of those he's writing or replacing yet another broken keyboard...