‘Trinity War’ comes to its startling conclusion as the mystery of Pandora’s box is revealed. The Outsider’s true nature is revealed and it’s quite a clever nod to the Silver Age, while his mole on the team is also unveiled. It’s not a huge surprise, but it’s still something of a twist.
The book opens in chaos, though as the heroes battle one another for the box. As the dust settles, we discover what’s wrong with Superman, while another hero is turned against the others. DC spoiled the climax with their advance solicitations, but I’ll refrain from spilling too much.
At any rate, this book looks amazing! Ivan Reis, inked by three different inkers, really goes above and beyond. There are close to thirty characters in this book and he does his best to cram as many of them into every panel he can! It doesn’t look crowded, though, it’s a visual feast. If you want all the super heroes you can get, all fighting one another, this is a dream come true.
As far as story, it’s not quite as smooth. There are a lot of nifty reveals, of course, but the story suffers just a tiny bit from its breakneck pacing, plus the fact that rather than a nice tidy ending, the issue climaxes by setting up ‘Forever Evil’ #1, the next big DC event.
The villains that appear at the end are a welcome reintroduction, and although they should be a familiar sight for longtime readers, Geoff Johns tweaks them somewhat, emphasizing that this is a new spin.
Overall, though there’s little to complain about here. It’s fast-paced and chocked full of super heroes, not to mention a few villains for good measure. There are twists, fake-outs and betrayals to keep readers on their toes. The only drawback is it’s open-ended, setting up ‘Forever Evil’ without taking a second for readers to catch their breath, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #23
Written by Geoff Johns
Pencils by Ivan Reis
Cover by Doug Mahnke and Alex Sinclair
