COMIC REVIEWS!!!

This week The Darkseid War continues in Justice League, and Mark Grayson’s “Reboot” comes to a close in Invincible! 

Justice League #46

The grand superhero epic is alive and well in Johns’ Justice League #46, and the wait for this issue was certainly worth it. Accompanied by artist Francis Manapul, the latest chapter of “The Darkseid War” continues to entertain, and amazingly Johns keeps the story moving while introducing new characters along the way.

The newly anointed “New Gods” that were once the Justice League are scattered around the globe, each pursuing their own interests. This leaves Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Mr. Miracle, and a few other members of the Justice League against the remains of Darkseid’s forces, who are beyond pissed that their lord has seemingly perished. Just when things seem to be lost, Mr. Miracle’s wife Big Barda enters the fray, and helps turn the tide back in our heroes’ favor. But Wonder Woman knows it’s not enough. In order to defeat the Anti-Monitor, they’ll need help from the only people who’ve faced him before: Ultraman and Superwoman, the evil Superman and Wonder Woman of Earth 3!

If it hasn’t been apparent already, Geoff Johns was born to write superheroes. Johns has an incredible ability to tap into every single character and give them their own little moments to shine. And not only that, but Johns keeps everything moving in this issue, which is kind of incredible when you think about how much is going on in this storyline. At no point does the issue feel overstuffed, and Johns gives you just enough information to have you begging for more by the issue’s end.

As I mentioned before, Francis Manapul is handling the art in this issue. While he’s no Jason Fabok (who will be back next issue), Manapul still shines in his own way. Manapul’s cartoonier look suits this series just fine, and his monster designs are great for characters like Kalibak. There’s a great sense of fluidity to Manapul’s pencils, and he helps add to the epic scope of the story.

It’s surprising that “Darkseid War” wasn’t made into a line wide event. But honestly, if it was, I think it would actually cause the story to suffer. Sure, it’s a little weird that Johns’ Justice League doesn’t reflect the DC universe at all, but it’s also a nice change of pace from the other hit or miss DC titles. If you’re looking for straight up, no gimmick superhero action from the big two, Justice League is it.

Invincible #126

 Robert Kirkman loves to poke fun at the big two, so it’s really no surprise that the finale to Invincible current storyline “Reboot?” plays out the way it does. But it still has plenty of surprises for you by issue’s end, and serves as another great showcase for Kirkman and artist Ryan Ottley’s superhero series.

Mark Grayson has been transported back in time, and is using his knowledge of his present to prevent the terrible things that happened to him and his loved ones. And it’s worked even better than he could have imagined. But this, of course, comes at a cost. Every event that Mark changes makes it so that he and Atom Eve never fall in love and have a daughter. When Mark’s visited by the being that sent him back in time, he’s offered the choice to either return to his present, or remain in this new timeline where he will save thousands of lives. But can Mark give up the life he has now to save the world?

I’m not going to spoil it. But I will say that Robert Kirkman’s script is spectacular. The small moments that Mark shares with Eve in the new timeline are heartbreaking, and Kirkman’s decision for Mark rings absolutely true to his character (though he might regret this decision later on). Kirkman loves subverting expectations with Invincible, and in this issue he shows just how great he’s become at crafting this universe.

Ryan Ottley’s pencils in this issue run the gamut from showing us dynamic and insane action sequences, to heartbreak, to joy, and all the way back around to action again. Ottley’s always been a fantastic artist, but with this issue he really outdoes himself. This is hands down one of his best issues ever.

Invincible is absolutely a comic that everyone must read. 126 issues is a pretty deep dive, but it’s so incredibly fast and expertly plotted that you’ll never be able to stop reading it once you start. With the bomb dropping that we have to wait until APRIL for the next issue, there’s no better time to get caught up then right now.

Jonwahizzle is a comic book slinger for Jetpack Comics.  Find him on PSN (Jonwahizzle), follow him on twitter and check out his blog, The Collective: Examples of Nerdery for more!