Doom has won. The Legion of Doom now armed with the powers of Perpetua are now unstoppable, or so they think. Despite the victory against all that is just and good, is there truly paradise in a world of Doom? Is the victory worth having?
As the Justice League are in a state of desperation, and impossible odds, is it possible that they may have a fighting chance against the insurmountable odds that face them across time and space? Or is all of time lost in Doom?
Man, I didn’t think Perpetua would be as imposing aside from appearance, but I feel that in this issue, along with the last issue, readers finally understand the fear of what she is truly capable of. It’s one thing to hear about what Perpetua is, alluding to what she can do, and what she has done, but I feel that these last two issues really showcased how powerful of a being that she truly is, especially on a larger scale. Yes, Doom has won, Luthor and his Legion have succeeded but to what end? And that’s what Snyder decides to showcase within this issue, and man does it have some curveballs. Now, it’s not as if readers didn’t expect for things to go wrong for everyone including the Legion of Doom, but it’s how it is executed that I feel readers will find surprising. It’s amazing that after a year and a couple of months of build-up that we’re arriving at the final act of Snyder’s run, and It is still a good read.
What I enjoy about this issue is aside from all of the cosmic scale action, and superpower battles that all readers such as myself often enjoy, there is a real sense of struggle, but not with superpowers, but with ideologies. And I think Snyder does a nice job at incorporating that idea of conflicting ideologies within this book. Because Lex Luthor is a villain, but in his eyes, he perceives that he is doing things for the greater good, that he is the savior, and that is often what makes a good villain, an enjoyably well-written villain. Now, I don’t want to go too much in-depth about that since I don’t want to give away potential spoilers about this issue, but what I can say is that the characters are written is satisfying, especially with the league and the many other members across time and space that they have interacted with through the Justice/Doom War arc thus far. Now one thing that I will admit is that if Snyder hasn’t challenged any wacky inspiration from the very series that influenced this series before, he definitely swings for the fences in regards to making the book go off the rails in fun, creative ways that made me wish that the issue was a little longer since he is wrapping his run-up by issue 39.
In regards to the art department, Manapul’s artwork in this issue is arguably some of his best work thus far throughout this series. It’s interesting to see how much his art style changes with each project that he lends his hands to. Each of the scenes are illustrated skillfully, and the panel layouts are wonderfully crafted, giving the book an aesthetic flair. Porter also does a good job in regards to the anti monitor segments which help to keep the visual style consistent to the story of the book. Hi-Fi does an amazing job in providing vibrant colorwork that helps the book glow in the eyes of the reader, and Napolitano’s lettering is the icing on the cake. I genuinely enjoyed this issue and wished that there was a little bit more jam-packed into it, but given what Snyder and company delivered with this issue, its worth picking up for new comic book day.
Newsdesk