As the members of the Justice League struggle with their new Godhood abilities, Wonder Woman must turn to the beings that have fought the Anti-Monitor before: the Crime Syndicate! Plus, what secret does Grail hold that will change Diana’s world forever?

To kick off the second act of “Darkseid War,” artist Jason Fabok returns and joins writer Geoff Johns to kick off the next chapter in this pretty epic story.

The issue focuses on two parts of the story. There’s the group who are going to find out what the Crime Syndicate knows about the Anti-Monitor, and then there’s the group dealing with the godlike heroes. Both parts are entertaining in their ways though there’s a bit of loss of steam as far as “holy shit” moments.

There’s attempts at those including a new look for the Anti-Monitor, which is supposed to be a big moment. Unfortunately that big pop falls short. The best part of the comic for me is a discussion between Green Lantern and Batman at the beginning discussing their various new perspectives.

It’s so nice to have Fabok back. His art really helped the first chapter of the story, and I missed his style in the last couple of issues, which definitely didn’t have the oomph they needed. The look fits so well to the story and the series, he really has a solid handle on the characters. Visually, it’s solid (though whomever designed the new Anti-Monitor…).

Overall, the issue is good, and a solid chapter in the bigger storyline, but some of the excitement has definitely been lost. That wasn’t helped with what was essentially a month off for a bunch of one-shots. Still, “Darkseid War” has been an exciting event, and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next.

Story: Geoff Johns Art: Jason Fabok
Story: 7.4 Art: 8.6 Overall: 7.6 Recommendation: Read