COMIC REVIEWS! 

This week we check in on the Master of Magnetism in Magneto #15, and find out if the Justice League can defeat the Amazo Virus in Justice League #39! 

 Magneto #15 (Marvel Comics)

 From the first issue, Magneto has been one of my favorite Marvel books. An awesome look into the mind of Eric Lensherr, the Cullen Bunn and Gabriel Hernandez Walta solo title has made Magneto into a protector of Mutantkind once more, and this issue brings Magneto’s slow-burning conflict with SHIELD to a head.

After allowing himself to be captured by SHIELD agents, we learn the real reason why Magneto allowed these humans to take him into their custody: they have their own version of Cerebro. Built from stolen plans from Charles Xavier, SHIELD has used this device to take out mutant threats in the past, a fact that does not sit well with Magneto. Using his own team of cloned Marauders, Magneto lets loose and shows the SHIELD agents that he is not to be messed with, and declares that the state of Genosha is once again under his control.

Cullen Bunn was born to write this series. He’s created a really excellent tone for this book, and even made Magneto one of the few good AXIS tie-ins. Bunn’s reveal behind SHIELD’s cerebro is executed really well, and he gives Magneto a sense of righteous fury (plus plenty of badass moments too).

Gabriel Hernandez Walta’s art has definitely improved as the series has progressed. As the sole artist on the series, his style has definitely grown on me. However, he’s always had some inconsistencies, and this issue is no exception. Despite this, there’s more panels that work here than ones that don’t.

Magneto is one of my favorite Marvel characters, and I’m really happy that his solo book has been so good. It’s definitely more of a character study than an action book, but Cullen Bunn does some really captivating stuff here with the character, and it’s consistently been one of the titles that I look forward to every month. Magneto is a book that is definitely worthy of the master of Magnetism’s name, and I can’t wait to see what Bunn and Walta have in store for him.

 Justice League #39 (DC Comics)

 “The Amazo Virus” comes to an end with Justice League #39, and Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok deliver a satisfying, if rushed, conclusion. A lot of ground is covered in this issue, and while it does seem like the book will crumble under the weight of it’s plot, Johns sprinkles in a lot of great character moments, and sets up the next arc of Justice League wonderfully.

Johns is having a blast with this version of the team, which includes not only the aforementioned Luthor, but Captain Cold as well. Speaking of Captain Cold, he gets some of the best moments of the book, hands down. Leonard Snart is clearly having a lot of fun being a “good guy” at the moment, but not enough to not take a few digs at the Flash.

While the character work is great in this book, Johns could’ve really fleshed out this conclusion a little better. It’s not as fast as Dan Slott’s conclusion to Spider-Verse, but at times it’s close. The team figures out a way to subdue the virus extremely quickly, and much of the curing of the virus occurs off panel. However, Johns uses the remaining pages of the book to not only set up the next storyline (titled “The Darkseid War”), but also set up the future of the post-Convergence DCU.

When it comes to the art, Jason Fabok is, once again, incredible. I’ve said it before, but this guy is an absolute beast. Fabok delivers some pretty jaw-dropping images here, including a splash page in the book’s opening pages that should be turned into a poster. He’s not just an action guy either, as Fabok absolutely nails the facial expressions of the characters, the highlight being Captain Cold and Wonder Woman’s reaction to teaming up. I’ve been following Fabok since he started at DC, and it’s awesome to see his talent being put to good use on a book like Justice League

 Justice League started as the New 52’s flagship title, and I’m happy to say that it’s remained that way through much of it’s run. It may not be getting as much press as Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s Batman, but it’s still one of the best titles that DC puts out on a monthly basis. If you’re looking for wide-screen superhero action, than Justice League is, without a doubt, the book to read.

Jonwahizzle is a comic book slinger for Jetpack Comics Follow him on twitter and check out his blog, The Collective: Examples of Nerdery for more!