HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! This review was initially going to come out along side The Omega Men, but a severe earache has kept me but I’m buckling down for this one! 2015 was the year that Geoff John’s revitalized my faith in his writing skill. Not that Geoff John’s needs my praise but it’s fun to see an old favorite recapture the magic of yesteryear. Another beautiful addition is Jason Fabok as his brings detailed line work with skilled storytelling skills on the most iconic team book in all of comics. Let’s kick off 2016 with a bang!
To jump right into the thick of this issue, while I will forever love Francis Manapaul’s art I missed Jason Fabok on this title. The opening sequence between Batman and Green Lantern not only reestablishes their unique relationship among the ranks within the Justice League but in a weird way set’s the tone for the rest of the issue. The nature of dealing with the changing winds, and working with the most unlikeliest of allies.
Yes I could continue to expound upon Fabok’s splash pages of Mobius entering the fray, or Wonder Woman and Superman “lover’s quurrel” but we already know how simply astonishing those particular pages are. As I’ve gotten older it’s how an artist tells a story and no sequence is a better example than Voolthoom overwhelming Jessica Cruz. Give credit to Geoff Johns for setting the seeds of Voolthom returning since the start of this arc. but Fabok helps John’s nail the landing. Her fear and anxiety are all told in her facial expressions, which then in turn makes Voolthoom’s hostile take over complete that much more unsettling.
I’ve made note of how Geoff John’s has recaptured the magic from his early Green Lantern days, but now it’s been three issues since Darkseid was killed and I feel like there has been nothing but set up. Set up for the Justice League becoming New Gods, set up for whatever Mobius has in store and now set up for the final act of Darkseid War. It seems whenever John’s tells a mega blockbuster story akin to Darkseid War the middle chapters tend to suffer the most. Yes John’s has sprinkled in some wonderful character moments over the course the past three chapters but at some point the story has to progress a bit faster. Thankfully it appears John’s is about to ramp it up if the final page is any indication. The only other issue I have was the reintroduction of Owlman, while I did feel the significance of the CSA reuniting and that does give some context to Owlman’s return, it still felt odd to see him in the final page. The conclusion of Forever Evil might give some indication to whatever Owlman has been up since then but for now it appears he’s only here for because the CSA is reuniting.
While the story of Justice League #47 story didn’t progress, Fabok’s magnificent art, the small character moments along with explosive sequences continue to make this book an amazing read each time an issue comes out. The final act of Darkseid War is upon us, let’s see if Johns and Fabok can stick the landing.
Justice League #45 earns a 4/5