Writer: Christopher Priest / Artist: Pete Woods / DC Comics
YOOOOOO!!! Priest really did that!! Shambles… I’m in shambles.
First off, let me just say this: Priest has done something really special here with Cyborg.
Yeah, I know I keep saying that, but shut up and hear me out!
There’s a moment in this issue where Batman is talking to Victor, but it’s really Priest talking to us. Batman explains why he put Cyborg in charge, and it speaks to Cyborg’s entire existence dating back to his inception in 1980. A lot of this run was Priest setting the groundwork and proving why Cyborg is an important character not just for this team, but for DC as a whole. By doing this, he’s holding DC comics and all writers who come after him accountable.
Okay, now what you came for. This issue did everything it needed to do, and then some. And I’m a better person because of it. Punches are thrown. Characters grew. Bait and switches were made. Agency was justified and in turn, fulfilled. Things got meta too! Trust me. If you’ve been reading this since the beginning, you won’t be unsatisfied.
The League goes up against Deathstroke, and it goes down about how you’d expect it to. Much to the League’s surprise, homie put a plug in between The Fan’s eyes last issue, and now he beckons a fight. But he’s always a few steps ahead, and that’s not exactly a bad thing this time around. I’ve said it 994 times, and I’ll say it again: Priest takes care of his characters. If you’ve been reading his run on Deathstroke, Justice League, or both, there is a lot paid off in this issue that will make you happy.
It was great to see Pete Woods’ have a bigger sandbox to play in. This run has been political and environmental, which hasn’t left much room for prolonged action. The moments we did get were always exclamation points, but we missed the sentences to which they belonged. We got that in this final issue. Woods was able to provide cool and surprising moments for characters that left me with a smile on my face.
One of the highlights of this run for me personally has been how Priest does a good job at threading the greater DC continuity into the book. So often, because characters are in so many different books at once, it’s hard to tell the level of canonicity a particular book may have. Batman is in like 6 books, man. What’s the most canon out of all of those? In Justice League, you feel like this is a book that takes place in the same world as Tom King’s Batman, as Sam Humphries’ Green Lanterns, and in Priest’s own Deathstroke. It makes this story feel grander, instead of one taking place off on a tangent somewhere.
No joke, I’ve had some all-time favorite comics moments while reading this, and for that, I am forever grateful. Issue #43 of Christopher Priest and Pete Wood’s Justice League ties up every major plot point while leaving the reader more than satisfied. It also leaves the door wide open for Snyder to take the reins in a few weeks. Justice League will return on May 9th, with No Justice, a weekly event that will spill right into Scott Snyder’s run.
9.8 Disappointing Lunches with Superman out of 10
Reading Justice League? Find BNP’s other reviews here.
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