Justice League #58 (ENDLESS WINTER Pt. 5): Hymn of the Forgotten

As John Stewart takes center stage, “Endless Winter” moves along at a brisk clip. Even when taking time to focus on individual characters (Superman, Aquaman, Stewart, and so on), the overarching plot moves forward, ensuring there’s no padding or dead space. DC is asking readers to spend extra amounts of their money on a crossover they might not have budgeted for otherwise, so it’s good that they’re putting effort into making sure it shines.

And shine it does. Writers Lanning and Marz do a great job focusing on John Stewart, who, while a character with a storied history, is also tougher to pin down than, say, Superman or Batman – or even Hal Jordan, for that matter. His history has had so many whipsaws in it (angry young Black man, architect, guilt-riddled hero who accidentally blew up a planet, “the soldier with a chip on his shoulder”) that it’s sometimes hard to boil him down to his essence, because his story has had so many twists and turns. But Lanning and Marz home in on something at his core that, to my knowledge, hasn’t been examined before: being a Black man in America, John Stewart fights for those forgotten by society, the system, the government, and so much more. The quietly dignified people just struggling to get by from day to day in a world indifferent to their existence. These people will live and die with few knowing they had even been born.

That’s stark, but Stewart shines his light on them, even (especially) during the Frost King’s assault. He specifically looks out for them to protect. And even when the night seems darkest – and, in the all-encompassing, overwhelming assault of the Frost King, that’s a situation that’s definitely encroaching – John proves to be the hero who makes sure nobody is forgotten.

On the art front, Xermanico and Marco Santucci make a dynamic duo. Their styles gel together quite well, seamlessly flowing from flashback to present-day. Xermanico, in fact, brings to mind a bit of a looser Bryan Hitch (the inks, especially, bear his heavier line weight). But the real superstars this issue are colorists Alex Sinclair and Arif Prianto. They juxtapose light and dark with a skilled discipline that shows off their flairs for contrast; the blue skies, green hues of John Stewart’s ring, and so forth dance together marvelously to create a gorgeous book.