Justice League: The Darkseid War by Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Francis Manapul and Brad Anderson (graphic novel review).
Now, I’ve reached the pivotal point of reading ‘The New 52’ Justice League. Interestingly, it’s not categorized under its original numbering but falls under the ‘Essential Edition’ logo. This edition reprints Justice League issues #40-50, Justice League: The Darkseid War Special, DC Divergence #1, DC Sneak Preview, and Justice League #1. Imagine the challenge of collecting all these issues and arranging them in the correct order. Surprisingly, part of my original interest stemmed from the Legion of Super-Heroes’ involvement, yet they appear for only a fraction of a page.
The war unfolds from several fronts. Firstly, Darkseid prepares for a war, but it’s actually against the Anti-Monitor who, after destroying the Earth where the Crime Syndicate originated, is now targeting this reality. Initially, the story reveals how Metron, years ago, established a truce between Darkseid and the New Gods by exchanging sons. While Highfather cared for Orion, Darkseid tossed Scott (spelled with one or two ‘T’s, depending on the text) into the slave pens. Scott gradually learned how to escape and explore Apokolips, returning daily to avoid detection. It’s still puzzling how he learned to build a Motherbox for teleporting, especially considering the need for a power source.
Other storylines include Grail, a grey-skinned Amazon born on the same day as Diana, who flees from the island. There’s also a plot about tracking down and killing Myrina Black, with the perpetrators working through a list of 43 names in search of the correct one, an Amazon assassin.
The League is divided and suffers damages. For a while, it’s unclear if Flash was killed. Batman, taking over Metron’s chair, gains immense knowledge of reality and a near-omnipotent capacity for intelligence gathering.
Meanwhile, Superman and an injured Lex Luthor find themselves on Apokolips, fighting for survival. With no natural sunlight, Superman’s powers wane. This raises the question of where the light on Apokolips comes from, or if it would blind everyone in bright light. Diving into their fire pits restores Superman’s powers but also contaminates him with the ‘evilness’ of Apokolips. Similarly, many League members become somewhat contaminated and godlike, losing control. Notably, Luthor becomes the god of Apokolips by falsely claiming he is Superman.
This story becomes convoluted, with complex developments and characters. A lot of it is spoilers, so it’s best read firsthand. It’s puzzling why the New Gods aren’t more involved, particularly given Metron’s own agenda. It seems as if they were oblivious to Darkseid’s actions. Although there are already many characters, a few more on the hero side could have tipped the balance.
It’s curious that the previous users of the Power Ring, trapped in its green essence, don’t unite against it. Their selection for being weak-willed and easily dominated makes such an alliance unlikely.
By now, Darkseid’s death and his rapid resurrection from infant to adult won’t be surprising, resembling similar themes in various religions. It’s symbolic of the idea that one might lose but can win again.
The story leaves some loose ends. It seems I’ll need to read ‘Batman: Three Jokers’ to understand Batman’s confusion. By the book’s end, there’s definitely a new order established.
GF Willmetts
January 2024
(pub: DC Comics, 2018. page graphic novel softcover. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-40128-455-8)
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