FINALLY ANOTHER ISSUE OF JUSTICE LEAGUE HAS COME OUT! This isn’t a complaint on the delays of the series has had (even though there have been slight delays). This more on a comment on how long this actual seems to be taking. I’ve made note of this in past reviews that for “event” level stories Geoff Johns tends to overstay his welcome. So now that the penultimate issue of Darkseid War is upon us, will all those issues actually mean something or will it be considered filler when the dust finally settles.
By the time I finished this issue, the most important thing that stuck out in my mind was how the previous issues felt very much like filler. Credit to John’s in being able to condense all the story bits from some of the Darkseid War specials into one digestible bite. In some aspects this is exactly how I want my stories to end, with each loose end coming together in a neat bow. The problem is that the time between the Anti-Monitor became Mobius, a majority of it was just superheroes simply standing around rendered amazing by Fabok but that doesn’t detract from how drawn out Darkseid War has been.
Despite that fact of previous issues Geoff John’s still continues to add more to the plot than I would deem unnecessary at this juncture. Especially since those elements could have been introduced in a tighter fashion. In a more positive note I did enjoy how John’s pulls the rug out from underneath the reader as he plays to our expectations with Mobius being the final battle. John’s delivers his Michael Bay explosive sequences with an amazing fight done by Fabok again, but in shocking fashion Mobius is taken off the board leaving the final battle between the Justice Leauge and a God infused Steve Trevor. I highly doubt Mobius is done completely but switching up this confrontational fight to a emotional induce one could provide for an interesting finale.
I’ve said it once and I’ll say again Jason Fabok is the glue that keeps this book chugging along. Over a year later and a half later and Fabok continues to be one of the best superhero artist in the industry today. Zooming on the sequence between Mr. Miracle and Big Barda and how Big Barda wants nothing more than to return to Apokolips and free her home from tyranny now that Darkseid Luthor is on Earth. Seeing the hesitant look on her face as she has to choose to follow the man she loves or the freedom of her home planet was soul torturing. it gives weight when Big Barda actually leaves. Under a different artist that sequence would have come off as awkward and unfilling. Similar to that seeing Wonder Woman’s expression as she realized what Steve Trevor has become as her face tells the story, something more artists should be able to do but don’t. Fabok may be recognized because how he handles action sequences and how realistic he makes these unbelievable characters look believable, it’s his storytelling and facial acting that truly makes his art as beautiful as it is.
For a penultimate issue Geoff John’s and Jason Fabok hit exact spot they needed to it. Despite the previous issues I would consider filler Johns does an amazing job of weaving all the various plots into a nice bow ready to be tied. Fabok remains consistent on art as always and hopefully both of them can actually stick the landing for the final issue of The Darkseid War.
Justice League #49 earns a 4/5