Justice League #21
Robert Struble
Recap
Our Superman is confronted by Future Superman, but Future Superman is so far beyond our Supes that the fight is entirely one-sided. Our Supes is given a choice. If he tries to escape this prison one last time, he will drift into the cold space and die. Or he can live there forever, food and water supplied to him.
Back in the Future Gotham, Batman and Future Batman (Dick Grayson) catch up on where the Bat-family is in this future when suddenly, Batman is pulled into a “psychic boardroom” by J’onn where he is greeted by the rest of the League and Shayne (the child of Future J’onn and Future Kendra). But despite Shayne’s cries for them to flee, the Future Superman finds them who reveals himself to not be the true Future Superman, but rather the World Forger.
The World Forger explains that in order to defeat Perpetua, there is only one option, only one future where that is possible. In this future reality, anybody who does not side with the Justice League has been locked up before they caused any problems.
A quick discussion amongst the League and they decide they cannot go along with the World Forger. He doesn’t take rejection well and teleports the entire League away from the utopian future to Apokalips. They find the missing villains (and, I would assume, some heroes). When they are confronted by their jailers, the lead one reveals herself to be a familiar face.
Review
And there we have it. The big twist. Actually, a couple twists. The World Forger isn’t exactly a surprise, if only because of the cover. While that’s a disappointment, I’ll revisit it in a bit.
The bigger development is just what makes this utopia so “perfect”. It’s not exactly a fascist government, but it’s close. Ever see the Minority Report? Something like that. Imprisoning those who would side against the League before they do anything wrong. I always enjoy these ethical questions and honestly, it leads to my second, and last, complaint about this issue.
I wish Snyder had spent a little more time on it.
Maybe he will, but it feels like we’ve moved past it.
Batman actually has a brief moment where he believes the World Forger’s path is the right one. And it’s a continuation of little scenes we’ve been given in the past couple issues. Batman is losing faith in his ability to help the League through this massive cosmic problem. And it comes to a head here where he actually voices the one dissention in the League’s ranks. Even Flash and Stewart, who have truly embraced this future, agree that the League cannot take part in this pre-emptive imprisonment. But Batman’s doubt lasts only for a few panels and I think it’s a missed opportunity here.
The cover is the other glaring problem. The reveal of the Future Superman to be the World Forger is supposed to be a surprise…but he’s right there on the cover. It’s a rare misstep by Jimenez (and maybe one you can also attribute to the editors).
Still, these overall do not detract much from the book. The characters feel very real. The story is paced incredibly well and each page leaves you clamoring for the next. Heck, I’m not sure how I’ll manage the next two weeks. And the art and colors by Jimenez and Sanchez are absolutely stunning. The perspective shots and shadows are beautiful to look at. This may have the best overall artwork so far in Snyder’s Justice League series.
Final Thoughts
It’s a fantastic book, despite a few minor criticisms. This arc is shaping up to be my favorite and yet I can’t help but feel that Snyder and company are just getting started. If I weren’t already hooked on the League, I would be now.
Justice League #21: What Price Victory?
- Writing - 8/108/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 10/1010/10
- Color - 10/1010/10
- Cover Art - 6/106/10