Reality is unfolding all around the League as they face off against Forger and Batman the Sun Knight! Can the Justice League prevent Batman from losing his grip on reality? Can the league stop the Forger from proceeding with his plans? Can Superman find his way out of the darkness? Or will all hope fade into the abyss of the multiverse forever?
Scott Snyder and Jimenez have delivered a heck of an arc, easily making the sixth dimension arc the most enjoyable arc of the entire series! Not only was this arc a good jumping on point, but it managed to execute all of the things that make a good team book, most especially a good superhero comic book. Snyder’s writing is so good in this issue, and it shows how much stronger of a writer he has become over the course of his career, and with the assistance of Jimenez on this arc, it goes to show that they had a good time writing this arc. I enjoy that Snyder and Jimenez made the choice to preserve ideas that could have easily been thrown down into the drain. They could have easily pulled a Transformers Michael Bay, and by that, I mean that Snyder and Jimenez could have easily wasted characters, or disposed of them before readers could ever see their potential be fully utilized. Thankfully that doesn’t happen in this issue.
One of the best highlights in the writing and in the issue as a whole is the flashback scenes that Superman has as he desperately tries to escape the dark abyss of a dimension that he is trapped in. The writing is so touching and powerful, that it reminded me of certain moments that could easily be compared to the Goku/ Gohan moment during the Cell Saga in DBZ, or the moments in My Hero Academia. Now that doesn’t take away from the writing and the story, but what it does is it managed to hit the write notes, where Snyder and Jimenez earn such moments due to all of the massive build up that has lead to this issue. The writing is solid, and strong, hitting all of the right beats and promising something that is very Hickman-esque in all the right ways. Tynion also contributes some writing in the latter half of the issue that helps to set up the massive Year of the Villain story that was showcased on free comic book day. It’s a strong epilogue that promises to be a great year for this title and the team involved. I have to say, It’s cool to see that Snyder and Capullo are producing Batman: Last Knight on Earth in which they reference this series, and now to finally witness how things play out, makes it all the worthwhile to reread the Last Knight on Earth just to connect the dots.
In regards to the art, Jorge Jimenez has consistently delivered in prior issues, but in this issue, he is able to showcase so much power in his pages, that it makes the reader feel as though they are experiencing the speed and impact of each punch that a character delivers onto the other. Each page feels as though they’ll just explode as if the characters are breaking the 2-dimensional space that they are illustrated in. The fact that Jimenez is able to showcase such raw emotions within his artwork be it the beginning pages where readers witness a wholesome flashback of Superman as a kid with his father Jon, or the pages where Superman is dashing through the darkness with all the energy that he is able to muster, it is all expertly drawn and executed so well that the issue alone overshadows everything else that he has done in the prior issues!
Now mind you, Jimenez has done fantastic work in each installment, but this issue and its conclusion, along with the wonderfully executed layouts make this issue a standout favorite and a new highlight on Jimenez’s work. Alejandro Sanchez’s colors also makes this issue standout, infusing his cinematic colors with Jimenez’s layouts making the issue more cinematic than what is seen on live action and if ever adapted, would make for a memorable scene than it already is within the pages of this book!
Another artist that has now joined the fray is former Nightwing artist Javier Fernandez whom I’ve always loved his work on Nightwing during his tenure with Seeley during DC Rebirth. I always imagined that one day I’d see him work on a team book like the Justice League and low and behold, what I always imagined finally happened! Fernandez’s art is fantastic and is a nice transition from Jimenez’s bombastic artstyle while retaining the same dynamic tone that has already been established within this series. Coupled with Hi-Fi’s colors, it just makes the overall artwork so much better and enjoyable to read through. Napolitano’s lettering is to be commemorated for how dynamic it can be amongst the art and colors, perfectly matching the voice and tone of the book. This is a fantastic installment and finale to the Sixth DImension arc, which sets up a major movement within this series and possibly every other DC title. I couldn’t recommend this issue enough, add this to your pull list for new comic book day. It’s worth it!
Newsdesk