Written by: Geoff Johns
Art by: Doug Mahnke
Publisher: DC
Before I get into the details of why I found this issue strange, I would just like to make clear that I enjoyed this issue as a whole and I think the quality of the series post Forever Evil has been really good. However, I question some decision making in this issue.
The story as a whole was great, there were some great scenes especially between Bruce and Lex and Batman and Power Ring. Both these scenes had some great dialogue and with Lex on the Justice League it has really opened up some smart conversations and interplay between Bruce & Lex, a relationship that I am really looking forward to reading in this series. Power Ring is also very intriguing and her scene with Bruce was excellent.
Though I am loving the Bruce and Lex dynamic, I do hope this doesn’t turn into a book all about them, because in the past few issues we have seen some great moments from other characters, such as Shazam, and it would be a shame and a waste if they are not used more.
Speaking of waste, as I mentioned earlier I found the decision making strange, and this is because of Doom Patrol. Last issue was very Doom Patrol heavy and we were teased that there would be this battle perhaps between the Justice League and the Doom Patrol, but to be honest they were extremely redundant in this issue and they sort of were there and then not. What I found strange was for this battle they were very eager to fight the Justice League, but I am not even sure why and also why they had no real issue about doing it. Perhaps this is not the end of Doom Patrol in this series and perhaps these questions will be answered further down the line.
Artwise, the book looked great. Mahnke did a great job of handling all the character work and the action sequences looked fantastic, I really like the scene with Batman and Power Ring the dialogue was meaningful but the art made the scene powerful as Mahnke is a master at drawing emotion.
So all in all the developments of this issue makes me really excited for the future of the series in terms of Lex in the Justice League and what will be happening with Power Ring. I was a little bit disappointed with the redundancy of Doom Patrol and how nothing was addressed about it, but I feel we may not have seen the last of them in the New 52.
