The Good
When this story started, events jumped forward a little. We knew the Crime Syndicate arrived to face the different Justice Leagues and somehow utterly defeated them all. Getting little pieces to the puzzle and seeing how certain individuals managed to escape is what moves the story forward. Regardless of what happens or how bad things get in a comic book story, there is always hope. The glimpse we got at the end of last issue and in this issue is enough to let heroes know that, somehow, the heroes will overcome this dire situation. It just might take a little assistance from those you would least expect.
That's perhaps what makes this story even more interesting, the villains refusing to bow down to the Crime Syndicate. Supervillains are often misunderstood. Some of them have their motivations for their actions. There's a reason they may dress up in a crazy suit and do the things they do. They have different scopes on what they want to accomplish and not many of them wish the utter destruction of world around them. That's where a select few villains will gather their forces figure out how to stand up to the power of the Syndicate. This will allow us to see these characters in a new light as their motive of revenge or even monetary gain will have to be set aside. It's time for them to stand up and become heroes themselves, no matter how foreign the idea may be to them.
Geoff Johns gives us a look at some of the villains willing to take a stand. Continuing from JUSTICE LEAGUE #24, we see the continuation of the encounter between Ultraman and Black Adam. David Finch's art captures the action and you almost feel each blow. It's an ugly time in the New 52 but Finch's art makes even the bad look really really good.
The Bad
This issue is assuming you are reading other issues, such as JUSTICE LEAGUE or ROGUES REBELLION. The tie in books are part of the overall story but those just wanting to read this main series will find moments where the action is already underway, continuing from another book. Those two, in particular, have been really good but whenever you're forced to read the tie ins to follow the main story, it's a bit of a bummer.
Along with that, while there are some developments towards the overall story here, it almost felt like there was more action in some of the tie ins. This issue is moving the story forward and setting up the alliance certain villains will form. Aside from the continuation of the fight between Ultraman and Black Adam, we don't get much of that big blockbuster action that plays a big part in this story. This issue is definitely setting up a very big stage for what's to come.
The Verdict
Things were looking bad in the New 52 with the Crime Syndicate proclaiming their rule after defeating the Justice League. This issue shows there is still hope as some unlikely candidates will be stepping forward to try to save the day. Geoff Johns gives us more answers and sets the stage for the next part as we find out what happened and who will be playing a bigger role in upcoming issues. David Finch's art nicely captures the essence of the story and Sonia Oback's colors compliments it to create the perfect tone. This is an event where you'll want to follow some of the tie in issues to get the full story. But with so much potential action and suspense, you won't want to miss what happens.