COMIC REVIEW: FTN Reviews Justice League #24

Writer: Geoff Johns

Pencils: Ivan Reis

Inkers: Joe Prado, Oclair Alber and Eber Ferreira

Colorist: Rod Reis

Published by DC Comics

“Shut up and die Lara.”

The loving last words of Ultraman’s parents as their Krypton is destroyed says it all on how different

Earth-3 is from the one we see every month in comics. Reading the words that Jor-Il recorded for his young son, telling him to be powerful, to snuff out weakness wherever it may be and degrading his son is a testament to how lucky the Earth is to have Superman.

While the rest of the Crime Syndicate are out rampaging the Earth in the wake of the Justice League’s disappearance, Ultraman has other more pressing issues he must take care of. He must see just how different and how week this new world is and there is one place for him to find those answers…The Daily Planet!

Enter Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen!

While the rest of the world is running and are convinced that Superman is dead, the ever faithful Jimmy is still the beacon of hope. He knows without a doubt that his pal won’t let him down and that his friend will return and save the day. He continues to hold his belief even when faced with this strange other dimension Kryptonian who subjects him and Lois to physical pain and verbal abuse. Never does his conviction that the Man of Steel will return and defeat these new foes diminish, but will it be too late for ol’Jimmy?

Geoff Johns has done it again with this issue of Justice League and as the first issue to come out after the Villains month, it did not disappoint. His twist on the classic origin of the Man of Steel to suite this otherworldly façade is simply spectacular. It is interesting to see how different the two worlds are and I think that is something we have not seen all that much of in the Forever Evil titles. Yes we have seen how different the characters are, but what caused them to be like this? How backwards is Earth-3 compared to our own? Johns has crafted, at least, the world that Ultraman came from and how he was twisted and molded into the creature of pure evil that he is. Even the 180 view of the Kent’s was a nice look into the childhood of this man. Gone is the sweet couple that nurtured and cared for the alien child who crash-landed in front of them and instead are two people who are abusive to each other and are frightened and scared of this child who attacks them right from the start.

Johns has laid the ground work in this issue for some minor details to play a huge part. There are issues that Grid talks about that can throw huge monkey wrenches into the syndicate’s plans. And the biggest one, not minor in the least, is the person who shows up to battle the twisted Kryptonian. When it was mentioned in the issue that Ultraman had business to deal with in Khandaq I knew that Black Adam was going to play a part, though I was not sure how big of one he would play. Though, when the heroes are gone sometimes it is the so called “Villain” who steps in to save the day. Black Adams does just that, he steps up, but is he powerful enough to tangle with this Man of Twisted Steel? Well we must wait for Forever Evil #3 to find out.

I will say this, this issue was a great lift for the Justice League title, from the backwards recreation of the first issue of the New 52, to the origins of Ultraman and the battle at the end, and this has taken the lull out of the title. Though that is to be expected from Johns, he understands the characters he is writing and if he has to create something he will and I feel he has done a fantastic job here in this issue. This issue marks the beginning of what should be a great next chapter in the Forever Evil series and hopefully will have it end on a high note. I think the villain’s month bogged down the entire arc in a big way but this issue brought it back. So let us hope this keeps going.

So From Spin to all of you I give Justice League #24

4 out of 5 nerds