JUSTICE LEAGUE #25 Review; "The Best Looking Comic On Stands This Week"
The last issue of Justice League put the spotlight on Ultraman's disturbing origin story and journey through the DC Universe, and writer Geoff Johns is now joined by his Green Lantern artist Doug Mahnke for a tale focusing on Owlman. Hit the jump for my verdict on this incredible chapter!
If you thought that Ultraman's origin story was messed up, then you'll soon realise that his early years have nothing on those of Owlman's! If you saw the preview for the issue - and have been paying attention to the Forever Evil series and its various tie-ins - you'll know that Earth-3's Thomas Wayne Jr. is the architect of his parents' death, arranging them with his faithful butler Alfred. This includes the disturbing scene of his younger brother Bruce being gunned down in cold blood, and we then jump forward to seeing how he deals with the criminals of Batman's Gotham City.
Needless to say, he dispatches them in a far more brutal way than the Caped Crusader, although his actions do seemingly lead to "The New 52" debut of a fan favourite superhero (you'll have to pick up a copy of Justice League #25 to find out exactly who that is). The issue does a great job of highlighting the differences between Owlman and Batman, all the while providing further insight into his motivations and means of ruling his very different version of Gotham. Geoff Johns has an incredible handle on each member of the Justice League, but he makes the evil and twisted versions of them so fascinating that it's hard not to hope we get to see them in some sort of prequel series when Forever Evil reaches its end.
Things get really interesting when we catch up with Nightwing (whose secret identity was revealed by the villains in the first issue of the event series) and Owlman's disturbing desire to replace his Richard Grayson with the one we know and love. However, it's what this confrontation ultimately leads to which proves to be the best part of what is overall simply an incredible comic book. Of course, it's made even better by Doug Mahnke's stunning artwork, and it's fantastic to see him reunited with Johns after their perfect partnership over in Green Lantern. He once again delivers the good shere, making Justice League #25 easily the best looking comic on stands this week.