The epic “Darkseid War” continues as the League is forced to unite with their evil counterparts, the Crime Syndicate, to defeat the nigh-omnipotent Anti-Monitor! Plus, what is the terrible secret behind Superwoman’s newborn child?

What part of the “Darkseid War” are we at now? I’ve seriously lost count. Writer Geoff Johns has been generally doing a good job with this epic story, but with this issue, it’s clear the story is being stretched out and gotten a bit thin.

The issue sees the Justice League team up with the Crime Syndicate and what should be a tension filled showdown comes off as Owl Man calling the shots and everyone falling in line. That’s followed up with a team-up to take on Anti-Monitor which is…. really anticlimactic.

You’d think this showdown would be pretty amazing and set up epic images that have you lingering on the page, but all that’s lacking. The fight is rather quick. None of the scenes are memorable. It’s a quick battle then moving on. The end of the first part of this arc which saw Darkseid struck down felt epic. The imagery, the scope, it felt huge. This here, lacks that mythic vibe.

I’m not sure the issue is script or the art by Jason Fabok, and I lean towards the former. Fabok’s art is good, it’s just not great here. The focus is all over the place and what should be focused on isn’t, while each character is given their moment. Instead Johns should let Fabok’s art tell the story with some of that focus being presented wordless in the background of epic spreads.

As part of the bigger story, I’m sure this issue will be fine, but the grand story feels like it’s losing steam a bit. It’s been stressed to me that it’s the landing that matters, and here that feels like it’s stumbling. Here’s hoping things get a bit more focused as the story wraps up in these coming months.

Story: Geoff Johns Art: Jason Fabok
Story: 6.7 Art: 7.2 Overall: 6.8 Recommendation: Read

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review